The Hathaway Effect
by VladMorgendorffer
Summary: Rose Hathaway got herself assigned to someone who isn't Lissa. Sixteen years later Rose is summoned to Court to get reassigned. What will happen when the most important man in her life, her son, finally meets the people he's heard so much about and they meet the boy they didn't know existed? Yes, it's a Rose/Dimitri baby story. I just couldn't resist.
1. Chapter 1

Rose POV

The last sixteen years haven't turned out like I once thought they would. If you told me years ago that I'd be the guardian for some random royal Moroi family instead of Lissa I probably would have punched you in the face. But that's exactly what happened and it's all my fault.

Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't trade my life for anything. Not a damn thing. It's just, I can't help but play the what if game. My life would have been exactly what I wanted it to be and more. I could be doing what I was meant to do: protect Lissa. Dimitri and I could be together and we could have been happy. Christian would still be a pain in the ass, Adrian would still be a great guy and we could all be one giant happy family living at court.

Instead of the perfect dream life I once imagined I'm stuck in the middle of the Nevada desert working for a surprisingly nice Szelsky family with my teenage son who looks exactly like his father.

Call me crazy, but even though this isn't the life I once wanted I wouldn't trade it for the world. Once upon a time I would have been offended if I didn't work for the last Dragomir and I certainly never thought I'd be happy working for anyone else. I also never thought I could have gotten pregnant, especially by a Dhampir. I never thought he'd leave me for someone else.

Even more surprising I never thought I'd for-

A sharp tap on the door brings me back to reality. I hear a voice ask, "Mom?" and I can't help but smile. There are only two other people in the world that could make me smile as much as my son does. As quickly as I can, I walk over and open the door. Every time I look at my son all I can see is Dimitri. Almost everything is the same. Same body type, skin, hair, smile, voice… they even have the same crappy taste in music. Thank God he didn't inherit his weird obsession with Westerns. Vlad even acts like his father, all calm and respectful. That is until you piss him off. Then he acts like me: wild and uncontrollable. He's got my eyes and he's got my skills. The rest of him is all Dimitri. "I have a present for you," he continues with a grin on his face and a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"You got me a present? Why? What did you do this time?" I ask teasingly. Knowing my son he probably broke a window or something while trying to do something fun and exciting and incredibly stupid. Like mother like son.

"Well, if you don't want it I can always send it back," he responds in the same teasing tone I used. I hold my hand out but he pushes it away. "Now before you say I shouldn't have, it really isn't from me. It's from the US Postal Service." Once again I hold out my hand and this time he finally gives me a letter. I swear I heard him say, "You've been served. I've always wanted to say that."

I shake my head. "You watch too much TV." A smile finds its way to my lips and a laugh escapes from my mouth. I've kind of always wanted to say that, too.

I look down at the envelope and I can feel the blood rush from my face. Oh, this isn't good.

I read the letter once. And then again. And then one more time. I was hoping the words would change into something else; something good, but no. They stayed the same.

Shit.

"Mom? Mom, what's wrong? What's going on?"

With a dramatic sigh I say, "I've… I've been reassigned."

"They can't just do that!" He looks at me with a questioning glance. "Can they?"

"They can do anything, Vladimir. Guardian resources are low. It's getting more and more dangerous out there."

"Do we really have to go?"  
"'Fraid so. You know, I'm surprised it took this long. Especially since Lissa has so much political pull now."

"Where are we going? Do I finally get to meet any of the people from your stories? Lissa? Christian? Adrian?"

I look at my son as he looks back at me with eagerness all over his face. Ever since he was born I've told him stories of our lives. The things we did in and out of the academy and all the wonderful things my friends have done since graduating. I even told him stories about Dimitri. Vlad always loved hearing stories of his badass dad fighting the bad guys and how he saved so many lives.

If only Dimitri could tell Vlad himself.

If only he knew…

Ready or not he's about to find out.

"You'll meet them and more! Now pack your bags kid, we're going to Court!"

* * *

A/N So this is yet another Rose/Dimitri baby story. You're probably thinking why this is any different from the countless others? Well, you'll have to keep reading find out. However, I don't have a solid plan and I am open for suggestions. And yes, that is your hint to review your thoughts, opinions, suggestions and whatever else you may want to review about. As always, you are wonderful. Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

_I forgot to put a disclaimer on the last chapter. I think we're all pretty smart here. And since we all have the same purpose here, to partake in excellent fandoms and exchange harmless stories about our favorite characters, I hate putting disclaimers because you'd have to be stupid to think someone would be profiting from this or is doing this for a bad reason. With that said, I think it's pretty sad we still have to put them on for legal issues. It makes no sense since the owners of these contents haven't said "no, you guys can't do this" or "we're going to sue". So in conclusion, this is your disclaimer. Make out of it what you will._

Rose POV

The plane ride to Court was a bitch. As soon as the plane took off I was surrounded by ghosts. It wouldn't have been so bad if they were just random ghosts. No. They had to be ghosts from my past. Literally.

The normal faces appeared: Lissa's family and, of course, Mason. But there were others I knew. People I met at the academy. Some were my friends. Others were my teachers. And they all wanted revenge because I couldn't save them.

Okay, so maybe they didn't want revenge. They couldn't hurt me if they wanted to. All they could really do was freak me out and give me the worst fucking migraine ever, but it still felt like they wanted revenge. They all looked so sad… Mason being the worst. He still wore the clothes from that night, blood still everywhere and his eyes had the same scared expression.

The ghosts swirled above me, tormenting me in every way they could. This is one of the few things I hate about being shadowkissed. The other is being pulled into Lissa's head at very inappropriate times. But when that happens I just have to deal with it, just like I have to deal with this. It might be crazy as hell and it might feel like they're trying to kill me, but it happens. Welcome to life.

I look over at Vlad, who is sitting right beside me in the window seat, and am surprised to find him staring right back at me. We haven't flown much. There wasn't a real reason for us to. Even though he hasn't seen this, he knew what was going on. I've never had the courage to ask him, but I think he inherited some of the side effects from being shadowkissed. I know he can't sense Lissa or anything, but maybe some of the smaller things. I can't be sure, but I think he can see them, too. The ghosts. But before I could even ask him he grabs my hand and begins to comfort me with soothing words.

My son. What would I do without him?

* * *

Our plane lands not a moment too soon. Those damn ghosts could finally leave me alone.

"You okay?" Vlad asks quietly as we walk into the airport.

"Yeah. I'm fine," is my great lame reply. I knew my son was scanning the area just like I was and in that moment I couldn't be prouder. He's going to be the best guardian one day. Even better than me or Dimitri. I can't help but smile at that. Dimitri would be so proud if he knew. The thought makes me want to cry. But I don't. Not here. "We've been up for over 24 hours. I don't know about you, but I need some coffee." Vlad's grin grows two sizes. His love of coffee is almost stronger than mine. Almost.

I hand him some cash and tell him to go buy us some from a nearby coffee shop while I get our bags. On my way back with the bags I find the guardian sent from Court to get us.

This is going to be fun.

Not.

"Hathaway," he says in his serious, deadpan guardian voice.

I reply in the same way. "Stan." He shoots me a look of mock hurt and I just smirk back. "Why did they send you? What could you have done that was so bad you got stuck with airport duty?"

"Nothing. They just thought you might run."

"Me? Run? Never!" I give him my famous Hathaway smile and he actually laughs.

"I've got better things to do with my time, Hathaway. Let's go."

"Wait. I'm forgetting something." I pat my pockets. Phone: check. Wallet: check. Bags: Check. What am I forgetting?

"I don't have time for this."

Vlad. That's what I'm missing. "A sixteen year old." Stan looks at me like I'm crazy. "I'm missing my sixteen year old." As if on cue, Vlad walks over and hands me my coffee. "I'm ready."

Stan just looks at Vlad. "Belikov? What are you doing here?"

"I'm not Belikov," my son replies. Poor boy. He's going to get called that a lot.

"Vlad, this is Guardian Alto," I introduced. "Stan, this is Vladimir." Stan looks between me and Vlad for a few moments. He doesn't ask any questions. We finally leave.

This is going to be a long day.

The car ride back to Court wasn't too bad. Vlad asked Stan a bunch of questions about guardian procedures at Court and Stan helpfully and happily answered them. Looks like he finally found a Hathaway that would listen to his dull instruction.

When we finally got to Court Vlad got out of the car first. My hand was on the door handle when I ask, "Is he here?"

Stan looks at me, contemplating his answer. I'm pretty sure he was wondering if I would punch him if he told me the truth. Finally, he responds, "Yes. Belikov's here somewhere. Probably on duty right now." I nod, not knowing what I should think. My hand was on the door handle again when I heard him ask the question I've been dreading the most. "Does he know?"

"Not yet."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"It's going to be a bit hard to hide it from him, don't you think? They're bound to run into each other at some point. But I will tell him as soon as I can." Stan nods in what I think is approval before we get out of the car.

* * *

_The next chapter will have Lissa's reaction. Stay tuned._


	3. Chapter 3

_This is for dimirainbow. Happy late birthday!_

Rose POV

Vlad was seeing Court through fresh eyes. As soon as we got to our room he wanted to go out and explore. Considering there was no way I was letting him go off by himself, I got dragged to every place we could get into. I would never actually let anyone know this, but I secretly enjoyed it. For once it was just me and my son spending a nice day together. There were no politics or Strigoi attacks; it was just me and Vlad. Nothing else mattered and best of all no one stopped us.

After we've seen everything we possibly could, Vlad finally calmed down. He insisted we stopped at a café for lunch and went inside to order while I waited outside. People walked by, but I didn't see any familiar faces. I watched the people go by and made up stories about their lives and what they're doing right now. It was something Lissa and I would do when we ran away from the academy. Doing it now wasn't as amusing as it once was. Probably because Lissa wasn't here. I wonder what she's doing right now. Probably shopping. Or making out with Christian. Maybe I should-

"Rose?" a familiar voice called out. "Rose, is that you?"

"Lissa? Oh my God, Lissa!"

Before I could even blink Lissa was in front of me and pulled me into a hug. It was kind of awkward since her hands were full of shopping bags. "Rose, what are you doing here?"

"Tatiana summoned me."

"Why?" She gave me a serious glance. "What did you do? Did you "accidently" stake someone? Please tell me you didn't."

"No. I have no clue why she wants to see me."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming? When did you get in?"

"Lissa, as soon as we found out we were on a plane. We've only been in for a few hours."

"We? We who?" Excitement lit up her face as she grinned. "Rose, did you bring a guy here?"

Vlad was technically a guy. Not the kind of guy she was thinking of, but whatever. "Yes. Yes I did."

"I want to meet him!" Her green eyes started to sparkle.

"What a coincidence. He wants to meet you."

Lissa looked down at her watch and then back up at me. "We should have dinner tonight."

"I don't know…" She gave me her 'do it or else' stare and I gave in. "Fine. But who's 'we'?"

"Just the gang. It'll be like old times."

"Just like old times…sounds… fun." I made a funny face and she laughed.

"It'll be fun, Rose. I promise." Her grin became bigger, if that was even possible. Seriously. How can anyone smile that big? "I have to go, but dinner tonight. Meet us at my place? Seven?" I nod in agreement as she once again throws herself at me, squeals in my ear like a teenager and wanders off right as Vlad exits the café.

And that's the reason why I'm standing here, in front of Lissa's door, deciding to knock like an adult or run away like a scared child. Vlad sees my hesitation and knocks for me. Shit. There's no going back now. I hear Lissa's voice through the door saying, "The door's open. Come in." I tell Vlad to wait in the hall, take a deep breath and walk inside.

The first person I see is Christian. "Welcome back to civilization, Rose," he says in his slightly annoying Christian way. Oh how I've missed that.

"Why thank you, Sparky. I take it you missed me?" I ask teasingly.

He takes me by surprise by hugging me. "I didn't know what I was going to do for a while. I mean, who else was going to beat people up for me?" I can't help but laugh. "I did miss you. We all did."

"I missed you guys, too."

"Rose," Lissa says as she comes out of the bathroom, "I thought you were bringing someone?" She walks over to me and gives me a hug.

"I did. I wanted to tell you guys something before you meet him." Lissa and Christian look at each other in confusion but eventually look back at me. Christian opens his mouth to probably say some kind of smartass joke, but closes it at the last second. I guess this is it. "I need to say I'm sorry. For everything. I know I should have told you guys, but I just couldn't. I was scared and I felt alone and abandoned and I just didn't know what to do. I panicked."

"Rose, what are you talking about?" asks Lissa.

"You'll see. Just don't be mad. Don't freak out. Just try to understand, okay?" Tears were forming in my eyes but I refused to cry. Not right not. I could feel, through the bond, Lissa's worry. She knew something was going on, but she was confused. I take a deep breath to try to calm my nerves. It doesn't help. "I want you guys to meet the most important man in my life, my son, Vlad."

My friends go into shock. They don't move or talk, hell, I don't even think they were blinking. I always thought that was cool, but in this situation it was just scary. After a few moments Christian regains usage of his vocal cords. "You have a son? Since when?"

"He's sixteen."

"Sixteen?!" Lissa still hasn't moved. Is she even breathing? Yep. Okay. She's breathing. That's good. "You have a kid that's sixteen?"

"It gets worse."

"How can this possibly get worse Rose?" Lissa asks finally. I'm glad she finally said something. She's angry and hurt and she has all the right in the world to be.

"You'll see." I go to the door and get Vlad. I give him a glance over to make sure he's ready and find one of those stupid 'Hello My Name Is' stickers on his shirt with 'Not Belikov' written on it. Now isn't really the time to laugh, but I do it anyway and he just grins at me. "You ready?" He nods. He's been waiting for this moment for sixteen years.

Tears start to roll down my face. "Don't cry, Mom," he whispers. "Please don't cry." I give him a soft smile before we go inside. Once again my friends are silent. All they can do is stare at Vlad.

The door opens and we can hear someone enter. I look at them finding, much to his amusement, Adrian Ivashkov. Totally oblivious to the other people in the room, Adrian comes straight to me and picks me up in a hug. "Little Dhampir! It's been far too long since you've graced us with your beautiful presence!"

I laugh softly as he puts me down and looks at me closely. "Have you been crying?" I look down in an attempt to avoid his eyes. Adrian looks over to Lissa and Christian who still haven't said anything. Then his gaze falls upon Vlad. I don't know how he knew it, but he did. With a smile on his face, Adrian walks over to my son and shakes his hand. "You look just like your father. Well, you're an inch shorter and you have your mother's eyes. Other than that everything else is exactly like him. Even the ponytail." I laugh and start to cry again. Vlad grins to Adrian and Adrian grins back and before I knew it they were hugging.

Lissa snaps back into reality. "You knew?" she yells. "Adrian Ivashkov, you knew about this and you didn't tell me?" Christian tries to calm her down but she shrugs him off.

"Lissa, I didn't know." Adrian studies her for a minute. "Lissa, calm down. Don't let the darkness win."

"Screw the fucking darkness! Adrian, how could you not tell us?"

"I didn't know!"

"Then how the fuck are you not surprised?"

"Because I fucking have eyes!" Her eyes grow wide in shock. No one has ever used that kind of language at her before. No one. Not even me. "It was obvious they were together, so I'm sorry I'm not surprised at their kid looking like him."

Lissa looks at me with sadness in her eyes. In her head Adrian's words repeat themselves over and over again. "Because I fucking have eyes!" She's trying to remember every interaction between me and Dimitri she ever saw. Through the bond I could feel her astonishment when she realized those words were true and then the sadness and depression that follows in its wake. She looks at me with those eyes. Those sad, sad eyes.

What have I done?

"Lissa," my voice comes out as a whisper, "don't think like that." I go up to her and hold her hands. "It isn't your fault. You had better and more important things to do than pay attention to me and my messed up love life."

Tears in her eyes, my best friend looks at me. "What is more important than my best friend?"

"I'm not important, Lissa. Never have been. Never will be. Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?" Anger flashes in her eyes again. "Don't worry about it?!" Christian tries to do something but Lissa pushes him away. Adrian comes up and whispers something about the darkness in my ear.

I know what I have to do.

I have to take it from her.

It must have worked because now I was angry. I could feel the fire in my eyes. Before I had the chance to attack anyone, Adrian was there, in front of me. He puts his hands on my face and smiles softly. The darkness slowly fades away.

Lissa was right. Just like old times.

I hug Adrian with all my might. "Little Dhampir, I can't breathe."

"Me either." I let him go. "Thank you."

He smiles softly and nods before going to Lissa. I look at Vlad who is standing still, just watching. For a moment I think I see something in his eyes… a fire of some sort… but before I could even blink it was gone. Maybe I imagined it. I hope so.

"Rose?" I hear Lissa whisper. I turn to face her only to see her back to normal. Good. This is good. I can handle good. "Tell me. Tell me everything."

"Are you sure?" She nods. "Now? Don't you have reservations?"

"We've got, like, an hour. Figured you'd be late, like usual." This gets a laugh from everyone, me included.

"Fine." A grin makes its way onto my face as I turn to my son. "Vlad, can you go to my room and get my wallet for me?"

His eyes narrow. "You never forget your wallet."

My grin grows. "I forgot it on purpose so you could go get it."

"What if I want to stay?"

"If you really want to hear about my sex life with your father, then go ahead and stay. Be my guest."

His face quickly wrinkles in disgust and my friends laugh. "I'll go get that wallet."

I nod as he makes his way to the door. "Hey!" He back at me. "Take your time. And stay out of trouble."

"Me? Trouble?" He flashes me my trademark Hathaway smirk and leaves.

"Well, Rose," says Sparky, "that kid is definitely yours."

I roll my eyes and Lissa asks, "Do you really think he's going to get into trouble?"

"Probably," I respond. "After all he is my kid." Everyone laughs and we make ourselves comfortable in the living room. It gets silent as everyone stares at me. "Where should I begin?"

"The beginning? People usually start there," Christian states.

"It's a good thing I'm not people then." He grins back at me. I never realized how much I really did miss him. Did I just say I missed Christian? What is wrong with me? "Okay, the beginning. Well, I met Dimitri the day he found us in Portland."

"I was there," Lissa interrupts.

I roll my eyes. "Yes, I know that, Lissa. On the plane back to the academy I remember thinking how hot I would think he was if he hadn't just ruined everything we worked so hard for. Then I found out he was your guardian and that just make it worse. I thought of him as outsourced help." I can't help but laugh at how stupid and wrong I was. "Then Kirova made me have all of those practices with him. At first I hated it. All I did was run. But then… something changed. The more time I spent with him… I just… I don't know. I liked him and that was it. A stupid little crush." I look at Lissa who is looking straight at me with a blank face. "The night Victor took you, do you remember what Dimitri and I were doing?"

"You attacked him because of the charm."

"It was a lust charm, Lissa. I went to his room and almost had sex. Pretty close to it. Luckily Dimitri figured out what the hell was going on. After we saved you he told me that what happened was a mistake and then it would never happen again. He told me he… he didn't feel that way about me. He wanted to leave the academy because of it." Lissa gasps. "But I convinced him not to. All I could think of was Dimitri. Every single second of the damn day. I just wanted it to end, so I went to talk to Victor in the schools' cell. Getting in was easy. Asked him to end the spell, but he told me it ended as soon as the necklace was gone. Said the only way it could have worked was if both parties felt the same way."

"Wait," Lissa interrupts again. "Victor knew and I didn't?" I shrug. "Ugg!" The boys laugh. "Continue."

"Yes, Princess." She rolls her eyes. "Right, so um, Natalie comes in and tries to kill me and Dimitri saved me. I made him tell me the truth and Victor was right. He did like me. But we didn't do anything about it. It was wrong. He was the teacher, I was the student. He was 24 and I was 17. We were both Dhampirs. And the worst one of all: we were both going to be your guardians. We couldn't."

"You were unhappy because of me? Both of you?" She looks like she's going to cry again.

"You come first."

"Rose, that isn't true."

"Yes it is. We don't matter, Lissa. The only thing that matters is you. Keeping you alive. We couldn't promise to do that if we were together."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does, Rose. Tell me!"

"Dimitri once said if he let himself love me he wouldn't throw himself in front of you if something bad were happening. He'd throw himself in front of me. And that is wrong, Lissa!" Tears build up in my eyes. I can barely say the next words. "It is wrong on so many levels."

"Rose-"

"No. Now stop interrupting." She sighs as Christian wraps his arm around her. I look at Adrian who's just chilling with his feet up. Typical Adrian. "Right. So, we were avoiding each other for a while before we went to the ski lodge for Christmas. I was upset with him and I was trying to do anything stupid to get him out of my head, which is how Mason ended up getting injured. And then the attacks were happening. Dimitri helped get me into all the meetings and stuff I wasn't supposed to be in. I… I was jealous of Tasha and hurt and…"

Christian is the one to interrupt this time. "You were jealous of Aunt Tasha? Why?"

"She wanted Dimitri."

"To be her guardian!"

"And the father of her kids!" His eyes go wide. Guess he didn't know that part. "I messed up and then Spokane happened. After… after that… Dimitri told me he told her no. That he couldn't do that when he was in love with me and then he kissed me and…" I started crying again. "It was wrong. No matter what it was wrong. We couldn't."

"Rose," whispers Lissa. I can hear, "I'm sorry," through the bond. It makes me laugh. I stop crying.

"We tried to stay away from each other but it just didn't work. One day we just gave in. It was wrong and we didn't care, which made everything so much worse. Everything was absolutely perfect." I begin to smile softly. "We were in love and we were going to be together forever and all of us could be one giant family. And then he left." My smile fades. "No note. No goodbye. He just left. I was heartbroken and I did the worst thing. I hid it. You came first and I couldn't do my job if I wasn't stable. So I buried it down until I could function." My eyes find themselves on Lissa, who is once again crying. "Graduation was only a few weeks away and we could have started our lives. And then I found out I was pregnant.

"It didn't register at first because the only person I slept with was Dimitri. It should have been impossible for this to happen, but it did. I was scared and I panicked. What was I going to do?" Again, I looked directly at Lissa. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asks in confusion.

"For ruining everything."

"Rose you didn't-"

"Yes. I. Did. It was that moment when I realized I could never be your guardian. I couldn't protect you. Not when I had a kid. So I went and did the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life." I can't breathe. I can't… she's… she's going to hate me. My traitor tears start flowing again. "I went to Alberta and asked to be reassigned."

Everyone froze. It was… like the world stopped spinning. Time was moving so slowly…

Until the door opens and two figures walk in.

"Sorry we're late!" says a somehow familiar voice. "It's all my fault!" The woman walks into the room. It's Tasha. And right behind her is…Dimitri. "Rose! When did you get here?" She comes up and hugs me. I don't respond. I just stare at him. "Rose?"

"Um, today, actually," I say. "Just got in a few hours ago."

"You have to join us for dinner!"

I can hear Lissa inside my head saying, "You don't have to. Rose, I am so, so sorry! I didn't know."

I go over and hug her and just completely ignore Tasha. "I'm the sorry one, Liss."

"I've missed you, Rose," she says out loud. Christian laughs and I elbow him which causes Adrian to laugh. I let go of my best friend only to find her crying.

I start to laugh. I was so afraid to tell her this. After all these years… I've missed her so much.

"Did I miss something?" asks Tasha.

"No," says Adrian dramatically, "just a cat fight." Christian, Lissa and I laugh before I smack Adrian upside the head. "Little Dhampir, I am shocked!" I smile as I roll my eyes.

I catch Dimitri looking at me. I just… not now. Not tonight. I just…

"Rose," Lissa says softly, "you're not looking so good. Why don't you call it an early night?"

"Sounds like a good-" I'm cut off by the sound of the front door opening. My eyes flicker to Adrian, Lissa and Christian. It's show time. "Tasha, Dimitri, I want you to meet my son, Vladimir." Dimitri's eyes bore into mine before he looks at the door the second Vlad walks in.

Time stills.

Dimitri's eyes fill with shock as he looks at the son he didn't know he had.

Vlad's eyes fill with fire. The same fire I swore I saw earlier.

It takes me only a few seconds to realize what he's about to do. But I'm a few seconds to late. I can't stop it.

I can't stop Vlad from punching Dimitri.

* * *

_Important A/N: Please don't kill me._

_I leave early tomorrow morning for camp! Which means I'll be away for two weeks. I won't be able to update. I know, it's tragic, but somehow we'll all survive. But I can make this promise. In the little free time I have, when I'm trying to sleep or walking to my next class or during one of the opera, Shakespeare, ballet or orchestra performances I will be plotting and making up stuff. And yes, in case you noticed, this isn't a normal camp, but I won't bore you with the details._

_I always want to thank you guys for being awesome. I love you all. Your reviews are all so special and they always make my day! Keep being awesome and I'll talk to you all in two weeks!_


	4. Chapter 4

_I am back in civilization! Camp was beyond amazing! My classes were wonderful, my classmates were spectacular and we were taught by brilliant actors and actresses. And this year's opera! Ohhhh! But I don't want to bore you with all the details. I'm sorry you had to wait this long, so without further ado, here is chapter four!_

I push Vlad across the room as blood begins to spurt out of Dimitri's nose. Lissa and Tasha rush over to Dimitri's aid while Sparky stands there and does what he does best. Nothing. I give Adrian a questioning glance and he nods slightly. I look back at my son who still has the fire in his eyes.

The fire is burning brighter.

Fuck.

Adrian starts to walk towards us, but I stop him. He's got to fight it. He needs to learn. No one can stop this from happening. Not even me. And Adrian, or even Lissa, won't be there every time it happens. Vlad has to learn to fight it.

He has to learn to fight my burden.

He shouldn't have to go through this. It's my problem, not his. But here we are, with him suffering and me standing here helpless.

No. I'm Rose Hathaway. I'm never helpless.

And neither is my son.

I look into his eyes and see the flames that are burning. "Fight it," I scream. "This isn't you, Vlad. Don't let it win. You can't let it win!" I see him trying… but he doesn't win. He tries to get past me, but he's too slow. I try a new tactic. "You and Dimitri have a lot in common," I calmly say. Stories about Dimitri have always been his favorite thing. Vlad's eyes meet mine and he momentarily stills. "I never told you this, but Dimitri punched his father when he was a teen. The only difference is that he had a reason and you don't." Once again, he tries to get around me and just like the last time, I push him back. "He knew his father was a bad man. His father liked to beat his mother. Dimitri punched his father to stop him. You punched your father because you're angry." My son's eyes find their way to Dimitri, but I step in front of them. "You have a right to be angry. But not at him. It isn't his fault; it's mine. If you're going to punch anybody, you're going to punch me." I step back and hold my arms out. "Punch me. No repercussions, no punches back." He doesn't move. "Punch me."

I can my friends saying no, but I pay them no attention. Instead, my eyes are glued to my son. His fist slowly raises and his body trembles.

He's fighting the darkness. You can see it in his eyes.

The raging fire dims before it completely dies out. His fist goes down, but he's still trembling. I do the only thing I could think of. I wrap my arms around him and whisper soothing words until he stops. He looks at me, his face full of shame.

This is all because of me.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault. All of it. I didn't realize-"

"Mom," Vlad interrupts, "it isn't your-".

Ignoring him, I continue. "You're more like me than I ever thought."

"Really?" He starts to grin.

I want to laugh, but I don't. I give him a small smile. "Really." His grin gets bigger. "We'll talk more about this later. I think it's time for you to go to bed." He nods slightly as I turn my head towards Adrian.

"It's gone," Adrian replies softly.

Turning back to Vlad, I tell him goodnight. He kisses my forehead and practically runs out of the room.

It's been a long day.

Too bad it's not over.

I have five pairs of eyes staring at me. I look at each of them, saving Dimitri for last. He's stopped bleeding. That's good. But that's the only good thing in this situation. I can tell Dimitri's in his guardian mode… but his eyes… his eyes that are so much like our son's… tell the whole story. With just one look I can tell everything he's thinking; everything he's feeling.

I can't deal with this right now.

But I have to.

"Anyone else?" I ask. "My offer stands." I put my hands to my sides. "Might be your only chance at beating the crap out of the legendary Rose Hathaway."

I look at Adrian first. He smiles and replies, "And ruin your beautiful face? Hathaway, I would think you'd know me better by now!" He adds in a wink for dramatic effect.

Next is Christian. "You know, Rose, I've always wanted to punch you in the face… just not in this situation."

When I look over at Lissa she just shakes her head. I can tell from the bond that she thinks I'm crazy, but she loves me. Moving on, Tasha is next. She doesn't meet my eyes. Finally, my eyes make their way towards Dimitri. He doesn't move or speak. He just stares at me, his eyes conveying everything I needed to know.

It's too much.

"Right. Thanks for inviting me to dinner, Lissa. I had fun," I say sarcastically, which makes Christian laugh. "You guys are going to be late for dinner. I don't want to keep you guys waiting."

"Rose, come with us. Please?" she asks.

"I have a meeting with the queen in the morning. If I have to be nice to that bitch tomorrow, I'm going to need some sleep." Adrian looks like he's about to make a comment, but wisely he chooses not to.

"Dinner tomorrow, then? We haven't seen you in years. Please?"

"I can't make any promises."

Lissa takes that as a yes and hugs me. I hear her voice in my head ask, "Are you going to be okay?" I nod slightly and she lets go. Adrian is the next one to hug me, followed by none other than Sparky. Without looking at the other two people in the room, I leave.

It feels nice to finally be alone. Lissa and Christian's apartment was becoming suffocating.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

We were all supposed to live together like one big happy family. There weren't supposed to be secrets or anything else. Just us being happy.

Now look at us.

Everything's a mess and it's all because of me. Why don't I just-

"Rose?" his voice asks. "Rose, wait!" That voice. I'd know that voice anywhere. Probably because I hear it every day in the form of my son. But this isn't Vlad.

It's Dimitri.

_A/N Well…that was that… If it seems a bit odd it will hopefully make sense later on. Please review… it'll totally make my day. Thanks for reading!_


	5. Chapter 5

RPOV

"Roza! Roza, please!"

I freeze at the mention of my nickname. It was the last thing he said to me before he left me: 'Roza, my beautiful Roza.' Tears form in my eyes and for the first time in years, I let myself cry.

"Roza," he whispers. "Roza, I… I didn't…please, just…look at me." I feel his arm on my back and I involuntarily cringe.

I turn to face him, tears falling down my face, and I look him in the eyes. I see everything at once. The hurt, the sadness, the pain. And again, it's all because of me.

"Roza, I-"

"Do not call me Roza!" I snap. "My name is Rose."

"Rose, please don't-"

"Dimitri, do me a favor and just shut the fuck up!" He looks at me, surprise written all over his face, but does what I so nicely asked him to do. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you. I… I tried, so many times. I wrote you letters." I laugh bitterly. "But… I couldn't find the right words and I didn't know where to send them. I wasn't going to chase after you, not when you made it so clear you didn't want anything to do with me."

"It wasn't like that!" Dimitri semi-shouts. "I left for you! For us!"

"Oh, you are just too kind, Dimitri!" I shout back. "Thank you for deciding what was best FOR me!"

He takes a deep breath, in an attempt to calm down. I, on the other hand, want to be angry. It's better than crying. "I left so that you could have the life you wanted. I left so you could be her guardian."

"Did it ever occur to you that you didn't need to leave? We could have worked something out! One of us could have been reassigned to Christian, or even Adrian. We could have been together all this time. But no! You had to do what you thought was best for everyone. And apparently, that involves leaving in the middle of the night without so much as a fucking goodbye!"

"Rose, I didn't-"

"Save it for someone who cares." I start to walk away. I would have gone pretty far if something he said didn't stop me.

"I came back for you!"

My voice, dripping with acid, cuts into the somewhat quiet darkness. Before I know it, I'm standing in front of him again. "No you didn't."

"Do not tell me what I did or didn't do!" he screams through clenched teeth. I know I'm making him mad, but who cares? I'm already pissed off. "How would you even know? YOU weren't even here! YOU just had to go and throw everything away!"

"How dare you!" I scream as I shove him. "You don't know what I was going through! You have no right to judge me!" I shove him again. "And it isn't like I was whoring around. I was doing my job!"

"Don't lie to me, Rose. I know it was you. You went to Alberta. You're the reason why you ended up in Nevada."

"I'm well aware of that. I was there."

"Why? Why did you have to be so petty? She was your best friend! How could you just leave her like that? How could you be such a self-centered bitch?"

This isn't the Dimitri I once knew. It isn't the man I feel in love with. That's why I don't feel so bad about what I was about to do.

I punch him. Hard. But not hard enough to do any damage. I couldn't… I couldn't do that. He staggers back a little, but that's it.

"The impossible happened!" I scream into his face. Tears start streaming down my face again. I want to continue screaming at him, but my voice comes out barely louder than a whisper. "I was pregnant and alone and scared. And that's when I realized I couldn't do it. I couldn't be her guardian. I couldn't protect her. Not with a baby. I had to choose between my best friend and her safety or my child." The tears start to flow faster. "I wasn't going to have my child resent me the way I resent my mother. There was no way I was going to lock my kid away in the academy. So yes. I was being a self-centered bitch when I decided to raise my kid in an environment where he could be with me and I could do my job instead of having to choose between saving my child or Lissa or throwing my kid away, only to see them on holidays. And you know what? I would make that choice again in a heartbeat. You, Dimitri Belikov, have no right to judge my choices. YOU weren't there when I had to make them."

"Rose-"

"I'm not done talking." He stands there as I tell him this, emotions swirling around in his eyes, but I don't care. I'm done caring. "All of his life Vlad has asked about his father and every single time I answered his questions with nothing but the truth. He idolizes you, just like I did, like everyone did. He's wanted to meet you since he could speak, and every time I had to say no. I'm not saying you have to do anything. You don't. But he's here. That wasn't him when he punched you. That was the darkness. I know he would love to meet you. Maybe spend some time together. Go to the gym. Whatever. It's no obligation. You don't have to if you don't want to. You have four days."

"Four days?"

"We're only here until I get my paperwork settled."

"You're not staying?"

"I'm going wherever I'm assigned. As far as I know I'm leaving for the academy in four days." He doesn't say anything; he just stares at me with those eyes. Those eyes that tell me so much. "It's your choice, Belikov. But if you want him, he'll be ready by nine."

_A/N That wasn't exactly how I planned it, but I liked it. Let me know what you think. :)_


	6. Chapter 6

Rose POV

"I'm going to be late!" I yell as I bang on the bathroom door. "Get your ass moving!" I swear he takes more time to get ready than me.

"Mom, relax," Vlad replies as he walks into the common room. I grab my stuff to leave, but I feel like I'm missing something. My keys. Where did I put my keys? "You have plenty of time."

"I was supposed to be there five minutes ago!" Where are my damn keys? "Vlad, have you seen my-"

He dangles my keys in my face before dropping them into my hand. "Why do you care so much anyway? You hate the queen. And you're always late. Everyone knows it, too."

"That bitch already has enough reasons to lock me up; I don't want to give her anymore. I know she's always wanted to say 'off with her head' and 'Rosemarie Hathaway' in the same sentence." Vlad laughs at my affection towards the current monarch. Truth be told I am dreading going in there today. Only that old cow knows what the she wants from me and whatever it is isn't going to be pretty. "I'm late! Hurry up!"

"Mom," he says with mock hurt. "Relax. You are going to be fine. There will be no beheading of any kind, or at least I hope." His right eyebrow rises in that cool one eyebrow thing. He does it whenever he can just because he knows I can't. "You are going to attempt to play nice? There isn't a guillotine anywhere that I don't know about?"

"Ha ha." Am I ready? Keys: check. Kid: check. Wallet: no. Where is my wallet? I swear I just had it. It's too early. I need to go back to bed. "Have you seen-"

He hands me my wallet. "Breathe. In. Out. Okay, you are going to be fine. No one is going to kill you. You're not going to kill anyone. You're going to be on time. You've got plenty of time."

"I'm already late, Vlad. Are you ready to go?"

"You're grouchy without caffeine," he says under his breath.

"Do you want those to be your final words?"

He sighs overly dramatic. I have to hand it to him; if I wasn't under a lot of stress I might have applauded his theatrical effects and he knew it. "Okay, fine. You caught me."

I don't have time for this! "What did you do this time?"

"I set all the clocks ahead so that way you would actually be on time."

I give him my sincerest disapproving guardian look while fighting back a laugh. He did that? Seriously? How am I so lucky to have a son that thoughtful? "How did you change the time on my cell phone?"

"I'm sixteen," is his only reply. Did he just call me old?

"How much time do I actually have?"

He looks down at his watch. "About a half hour."

"I'm up a half hour early?" Vlad nods and I sigh. "You're buying me coffee."

* * *

"Rose?" a familiar voice asks behind me. I turn around to find none other than Eddie Castile who then picks me up in a hug. "Rose, you look amazing!"

"And look at you, Eddie! You finally got some muscle," I tease. "Seriously though, you're looking good."

"I thought my eyes were deceiving me for a minute. Someone pinch me. Rose Hathaway here in the flesh after all these years!" Laughingly I pinch his arm. "What brings you out here? Finally ready for a real man?" He gives me a playful wink.

I try to hide my laughter, but I just can't. "I don't know, Castile. I haven't seen a real man since I got here."

With mock hurt he exclaims, "Rose, you hurt me!" while clutching his chest. I hit him on the arm.

"I've missed you!" This time he laughs and he picks me up again, twirling me around.

"Are you flirting?" Vlad asks in pure horror as he appears from the coffee shop with our coffee.

Eddie looks confused. "You've seen Rose flirt before Belikov."

Oddly enough Vlad really hasn't seen me flirt before. Back when I was at the academy I flirted all the time. It was my favorite pastime. But… things change. I was in Nevada, always working or spending time with my son. I didn't have time for guys, let alone time to go find one.

I take my coffee from my son and put my arm around him. "Sweetie, this is Eddie Castile." Vlad sticks his hand out to shake Eddie's and Eddie confusingly shakes it.

"Eddie this is-" I'm interrupted by someone saying my name. I turn to find Dimitri, duster and all. "Vlad, you know the rules." He nods. "Rule number one: don't wonder off."

"Mom, that's the Doctor's rule," he laughs.

I laugh and put my finger to my lips to shut him up. "Behave yourself Vladimir or I will drag your sorry ass back to our suite and you will stay there. Do I make myself clear?" He nods again. "You have your phone?" Another nod. Good. I nod this time. "Kick his ass for me." My son grins as he gives me a hug before I look at Dimitri.

"Rose, I'm-" Dimitri starts before I stop him.

"I forgave you a long time ago," I reply in the most sincere tone possible. And it's true. I did forgive him. It was hard not to since I saw his face every day. "Do not, and I repeat, do not leave your son alone. Not even for a minute. No matter how long it is, a second or a minute, he _will_ find trouble. Do you understand?" He agrees. "He does not leave Court." This time he nods. "Keep him away from girls. Trust me; you do not want him near girls." I take the chance to glance at Vlad who is just rolling his eyes. "If he gets to be too much or he gets in trouble or whatever, call me and I'll get him."

"I think I can handle a teenage boy, Rose."

"But this isn't just any teenage boy. This is a Hathaway."

"I remember being able to keep you in line."

"Keeping me in line? You did a good job of that," I scoff as I point to our son. "I just have one other request." He raises one eyebrow. Why can't I do that? "You are going to bring him back to me in this exact condition. If I find anything, and I mean anything, wrong with him you will regret it."

Vlad whines, "Mom!" but I ignore him.

"Roza, I promise you, he's going to be okay. We're just going to talk." Roza. He called me Roza. Reading my mind he whispers, "Sorry."

"I know you'll be fine," I whisper back. "It's just…" He nods in understanding. No matter what Dimitri always understood what I'm thinking; what I'm feeling. That's what is making this so hard. "I'm going to be late," I say loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'll be in the central office later if you need me. Go… have fun."

Dimitri looks at me like he's searching for something. I can tell he wants to say something, but he doesn't. I try to forget about it by looking over at Vlad who just hugs me again, kisses my forehead and says goodbye. A small smile finds its way onto my lips while I watch the two walk. My son and his father. And it only took sixteen years.

Eddie, who I sort of forgot about, clears his throat. "You and Belikov, eh?"

I groan. "Walk with me?" He grins and we start walking. "Me and Belikov."

"He is one lucky bastard."

"Eddie!" I can't help but laugh.

"Well, it's true. You were every guy's fantasy back at the academy."

"Even yours?" I ask in a teasing way. Eddie was like a brother to me, which is why he silence is so surprising. Is that… is he blushing? "Eddie!"

"I couldn't help it, Rose. I _am _a man." I laugh softly this time. We walk in a comfortable silence for a few steps before Eddie talks again. "Is that why you left?"

"What?" How did he know I left?

"Oh, come on. It isn't that hard to figure out. You and Lissa? Not even the Queen herself would dare take you two apart. It had to be you."

"I did what I had to do." I know Eddie would never understand, but I had to get him to see. To at least try to understand.

By the look on his face he did. "It wasn't easy. I get that. You did what you had to do."

"But…?"

"But nothing. I'm just agreeing."

"No you're not. You have something to say. Something about Lissa?" He doesn't say anything. "I'm right, so spill it, Castile."

"It isn't my place to say it."

I sigh. "Did you honestly think I would leave my best friend and never check in with her?"

"Well…"

"I was there every time she needed me, whether she knew it or not."

I look around at our surroundings and I'm surprised to see we're here. Outside the palace. I give Eddie a giant hug and he just grins. "How long are you here for?"

"Just a few days."

"Want to go to dinner?"

"Eddie Castile! Are you asking me out?"

He shrugs. "Maybe. It depends."

"On?"

"If you say yes?" He can't keep a straight face and we both laugh

"I'm having dinner with Lissa tonight. If I don't go she'll kill me. How about tomorrow? We could get the gang together?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Hathaway."

With a roll of my eyes I say goodbye and turn to enter the building. As soon as I get to the door I hear, "Hey Rose?"

"Yes, Eddie?"

"Try not to kill the Queen."

"I'll try."

* * *

_A/N I want the next chapter to be very special. I have a lot of ideas that I hope you will enjoy, but if there is something you are just dying to see or something you think is super cool then suggest it. Even if you don't you can still review; that review button is your friend! As always, I hope you enjoyed this and if you didn't I'm sorry. You guys are the best! I'm lucky to have you people as readers!_


	7. Chapter 7

_This story has reached not only 100 comments but also 100 followers! You guys are incredible! Thank you so much!_

Rose POV

A few Guardians escort me into the throne room. As the door behind me closes more Guardians come into the room. Security is always tight here, but this many? Something's up. Something I'm not going to like.

Why else would they have this much extra security? They think I'm going to revolt.

"Guardian Hathaway," the Queen sneers in greeting.

Let the fun begin. Giving the best bow I can manage without laughing hysterically I respond. "Your Majesty."

She gets that ugly smirk on her face. The one she gets when she's plotting something. "I'm glad you could find your way from the Nevada desert to meet with me."

"Anything for you." The words came out of my mouth naturally. They sounded almost real, though every single person in this room knew better.

"Let's cut to the chase here, Rosemarie. I've got better things to do."

"I'm sure you do." Things like getting us all killed.

Her eyes narrow at me. There once was a time when I would have narrowed them right back, but things change. I'm not letting this bitch get the satisfaction. No way in hell.

"You're up for reassignment." I nod, not quite sure where this is going. "I'm going to be quite frank, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

"Though I hate to admit it, you are indispensable." I almost choke. Was that supposed to be a compliment? "I will not have my people dying when you are wasting away in Nevada."

"Wasting away? I'm doing my job."

"Your job was to guard Vasilisa."

"My assignment was in Nevada."

Queen Bitch sighs. "Your assignment was Vasilisa. You," she points her finger at me, "changed that. You are going to tell me why."

This is what this is about? Seriously? "Your Majesty, I did what I had to do to protect Lissa."

"To protect her? Leaving her defenseless against Strigoi is protecting her?"

"She was never defenseless. She had two very capable Guardians."

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this, Guardian Hathaway, but things are changing in our world. Moroi are afraid to go out at night; they're afraid to go out during the day. There are talks of wards being useless."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"You turned your back on our society. You threw away a great honor when you refused to guard the last Dragomir and you don't even want to clear your name?"

I can feel my body preparing for fight. I guess the Guardians could see it too, because they start to get closer. "If I wanted to turn my back on our society I would have left the academy without graduating. I would have refused any assignment at all and would have made sure no one ever found me. Instead I was doing my duty. I couldn't protect Lissa anymore. With all due respect it isn't something _you_ would be able to understand. I had my reasons for what I did. But it isn't like I ran away."

"Is that your case? You 'had your reasons'?"

"Yes."

"There is a movement, I'm sure you're aware of. This particular movement is demanding my abdication from the throne." She gives me an accusing glare as if I had something to do with it. Why would I give a fuck about her throne? "I'm changing your new assignment. You are to be here at Court."

There is no fucking way I'm staying here. I'd be punished for something I didn't do, at some desk doing everyone's paperwork when I could be doing something useful, like training novices. "Then I quit."

"What?" she demands. The Guardians come closer.

"As you said, I am indispensable. I've got better things to do with my time than being a part of a political stunt. I will quit. "

"You're bluffing!"

"Try me."

A Moroi woman walks in ignoring the large set of Guardians completely and walks right to the Queen. I see one of the Guardians roll his eyes. The Queen exclaims, "Bring him in!" and the woman leaves. A Dhampir enters and walks over to me. I try to hide my smile. "Guardian Belikov, I hope you are enjoying your stay at Court."

Vlad looks at me completely lost. This isn't going to end well. I mimic a bow slightly hoping he would catch on. He does. In one sweeping movement he bows gracefully and perfectly, as if he's done this a million times. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I'm not who you think I am."

One of her eyebrows shoots up. Am I the only one who can't do that? "I don't have time to-"

The door opens again and Dimitri comes in. "I leave you alone for five seconds!" he half whispers half yells. He looks at the Queen apologetically. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, for whatever he's done. I take full responsibility."

"He hasn't… done anything," she says as curiosity fills her face. "I wasn't aware you had a…son?"

Dimitri starts to smile. The smile is the smile a proud parent get when they're showing off their kids. I always knew he'd be a great father. "Yes."

"It's a bit overdue, but Congratulations to you and Tasha."

My smile vanishes and so does Dimitri's. The Queen notices the change in his demeanor. "Tasha isn't Vlad's mother."

Smelling a scandal, the Queen turns to my son, a vicious grin plastered on her wrinkled face. "I would have remembered seeing you at St. Vladimir's. Did you attend a Russian academy?"

I swear to God if she even thinks about doing something to my son I will kill her without so much as a second thought. Dimitri, sensing what I'm thinking gives me a look that was supposed to calm me down. It doesn't. "I'm homeschooled," Vlad answers respectfully.

"Homeschooled?" she replies with shock in her voice. Her eyes start to light up. She's got an idea. I shoot Dimitri daggers with my eyes. He just looks at me with an apology. "So you don't plan on becoming a Guardian?"

"I'm going to be a Guardian."

"How are you going to manage that? Have you even had any training?"

"I've had plenty of training. I train all day."

"And you think that's preparing you for Strigoi?"

I look at Vlad, but he's staring straight forward. Don't say it. Please, just shut up. I give Dimitri a pleading look, but he's too busy looking at Vlad to notice. "It prepared me for my first kill, so I believe so."

"Your first kill?" I want to wipe the fucking grin off her face. She's got a plan and if it's what I think it is we're all doomed. We'd stand no chance. None of us.

I stare at Vlad, silently telling him to shut up. He tenses slightly, finally understanding he's said too much. "It was a while ago. We were at a movie and were attacked."

"And?"

"Well… I was… locked in a car while my Mom was fighting. She killed the first two and was working on another when a fourth Strigoi came up behind her. I jumped out of the car and staked it."

"A Moroi killed three Strigoi?"

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

Breathe, Hathaway, just breathe. I wanted this to be on my terms, but I guess there is no time like the present. It's show time.

Vlad looks between Dimitri and me, scared and looking for help. I step closer to him, wrap my arm around him, and whisper a threat. Dimitri must have heard it because he laughed. "Your Majesty," I say loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. She glares at me with nothing but pure hatred in her eyes. "You wanted to know my reason for leaving? I'd like you to meet him - my son, Vladimir."

The room becomes so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Even the birds stopped chirping. The Queen's eyes grew about three sizes, and hers weren't the only ones. Most of our audience's eyes did too. Dimitri used the silence to his advantage by putting his arm around our son, right on top of mine. In a way, it was kind of like a family hug. Our first family hug. If you would call us a family. I have no clue what we are.

Queen Bitch looks between the three of us for the longest time before finally coming to a conclusion. "How is this possible?"

"Dimitri and I had sex," I explain. "That's when two people-"

She sends me a death glare. That's sweet. She thinks that's going to scare me. Pointing to my son, she has the nerve to say, "I want to know how _that_ is possible."

She did **not** just say that! Oh, this bitch is going down! I start to move, but Dimitri's arm grabs mine. He. Won't. Let. Go. I try to struggle, but it's no use.

"Roza, stop," he whispers pleadingly.

"She insulted my son!" I fiercely whisper back. She's not going to get away with this!

Looking at the Queen, Dimitri asks, "Can we talk about this," he nods towards Vlad, "in private?"

"Someone take the boy out," she demands, her voice full of disgust.

This bitch has it coming.

The Guardians get even closer.

Dimitri grabs me and forces me to look at him. He starts whispering again. "It isn't worth it."

"Yes it is!"

"If you do it and you're arrested, which you will be, what will happen to him?"

That was like a bucket of cold water in my face. Dimitri's right. What would happen?

Noticing the change, he lets me go. The Queen asks again, "How?" but she's looking at the wrong person. Her gaze soon falls to me.

"When the unexplainable happens I generally tend to fall back on the 'shadowkissed' excuse."

"And how does that explain this?" There is no hint of evil in her question, just genuine curiosity.

"It's no secret. I died. You would think that changes a person, mentally and physically."

"And that let you procreate with someone of your own kind?"

"Yes."

Tatiana stares at me while she ponders something. Why do I have the feeling this is bad?

The sooner I leave Court the better.

I look over at Dimitri surprised to see him looking back. Why is he here? What was the purpose of bringing him here? They wanted him for something. Something to do with me. But what? Maybe they thought the old mentor could handle the old student? No. Something else was supposed to happen, something that would cause a fight.

I need to get out of here.

Finally the Queen speaks. "You're reassigned to Montana. They need the extra hands." Good. I can live with the academy. We bow and turn to exit, but we're stopped by three little words. "Both of you."


	8. Chapter 8

Rose POV

"Rose, we need to talk about this." I stop in my tracks. He's right. Dimitri's right.

Breathe, Hathaway. Just… breathe. It isn't… it isn't his fault.

I see Vlad walking towards us with another cup of coffee in his hand. Coffee. I need coffee. I take Vlad's and take a sip while ignoring my son's horrified expression. "You drink too much of this stuff," I say in a lame attempt to defend my actions. "Stunts growth. Don't you want to be tall like him?" I nod to Dimitri. "Gotta lay off the caffeine if you want to grow that extra inch." He doesn't believe me so I just take another drink. "It's been a rough day, kid. Don't mess with me." Vlad opens his mouth and then shuts it. Smart boy. I look over at Dimitri and frown. It wasn't supposed to be like this! It was… I mean…

Ugh!

I need to punch something.

But I don't. The old me would have. The new me has better things to do with my life.

"I've got paper work to do," I state while I'm looking into Dimitri's eyes. "We'll talk about this later."

"Uh, Rose?" he asks. "I've got paperwork to do, too. Why don't we-"

"I'll do it." He glances at me like I'm insane. Which, apparently I am. "Your paperwork, Belikov. I will do your paperwork."

"Why?"

Yes. Why? Why did I offer to do that?

"You know why," I whisper not knowing if I'm answering him or myself.

Dimitri gets closer to me. We're almost touching. "I know you don't want me there. I'll think of something, Roza, I swear."

Roza. He called me-

"Did I miss something?" Vlad asks in confusion.

I answer him with a simple "yes" and move on. He looks at me like he's waiting for an explanation, but I don't give him one. Not yet. "I'll do your paperwork," I repeat. "It's the same forms, just a different name. If I need anything I'll call." I sigh.

"Rose-"

"I need to… I need to think about this." I look at my son who's just staring back. Dimitri's words echo in my head. What will happen to him if something happens? Best case scenario is that he gets to stay with Dimitri. Worst case he gets held at Court against his will as they inflict test after test to see how he can exist; to see how different and special he really is. I'm never going to let that happen. Never.

I reach into my pocket, pull out some cash and hand it to Vlad. "Lunch is on me. Behave or else." Vlad doesn't even look scared at my threat which causes me to laugh. "If you need anything I'll be over there," I say as I point to the main office building. "Got it?" He mumbles something that sounds vaguely like yes and so does Dimitri.

I turn and walk away.

* * *

What is the Queen up to? Playing with me sends a message to everyone, Moroi and Dhampir alike. Treating me like a prisoner is only a desperate attempt to try to keep all Guardians on their toes and just reassures the Moroi population that she's doing _something._

But she didn't. She decided on Montana. Why?

Well, I did threaten to quit. And I _was_ being serious. I know my duty, but there is no way in hell I'd agree to that. I'm not a slave. I do have _some_ say in _my_ life. But it isn't just my life I have to think about. It's my son's. And, well, everyone else's. If she starts playing games with me, what will she do to other Guardians?

There are talks of revolts. I haven't joined any movements or anything, but I've heard about them. They're becoming more and more popular in the last few months. And it isn't just Guardians. It's all Dhampirs. Hell, even some Moroi have joined the underground.

There is going to be a revolution soon if something doesn't change.

And that's why she wanted me. Just to make a statement to these movements.

But what did she want Dimitri for?

He's got a clean record and he's guarding a royal Moroi. Nothing's changed. She's got nothing on him except Vlad and me. Does she want him to spy on me? I doubt she'd need him. That bitch has spies everywhere, especially at the academies. Is he meant to keep me in line? What good is he going to do at the academy?

And what about Vladimir? I know she's going to have everything she can get her hands on about him. There won't be much since I kept him out of the academy. So, she'll send her spies to gather whatever they can while we're in Montana. I can see their reports now and before anyone knows it the old hag is going to give the people what they want: change.

She's going to try to lower the graduation age to 16.

Last time she tried it was a cover to pass Moroi fighting. This time it'll be because of our numbers. Moroi are so scared they might just pass it, leaving our young to fight and to lose.

That _will_ cause a revolution.

Tatiana was right. Our world is changing, but it isn't because of the increase of Strigoi. It's because of the increase of those who are waking up.

* * *

The street was busy when I leave the office. Everyone is finally done after the long work day so they're going home or going to dinner or going shopping. I can't help but laugh at them, stuck in a never ending cycle. This is life at Court. It's one giant party and it's like the rest of the world doesn't exist. It's a place where Strigoi seem to be just monsters of legend. That is until you get into the shadows. It's us, the Guardians, the shadows of Court, who shake our heads in disgust as we stare straight ahead, deadpanned yet always looking. We're reduced to nothing but mere shadows just waiting for death.

When did I get so bitter?

When did I lose faith in-

"Hathaway!" yells someone from behind me. I look to find Stan Alto running towards me.

"What do you want, Stan? I'm kind of busy."

He looks around us, searching for something or someone. The coast seemed to be clear because he started talking. "We want you to lead our revolution."


	9. Chapter 9

_I would like to thank everyone who has made it this far in the story. You guys are seriously awesome. _

Rose POV

"You can't say that kind of thing!" I angrily whisper, half expecting Guardians to run towards us. Who does Stan Alto think he is? Everyone knows you can't say that kind of stuff out loud. Especially at Court! "Stan, this is serious!"

"Don't you think I know that?" he responds in the same tone I used. "But this is reality, Rose. We need someone. We need _you._"

I shift my eyes around looking for signs of anyone. Me? Why do they fucking need _me? _I'd be the first person they'd suspect! This is fucking INSANE."What do you want me to say, Stan?" I look up at his face only to find a Guardian mask staring straight back at me. "I have a son. I can't just do something like this."

His eyes meet mine and for a brief second I can see something. Hope?

He goes back to scanning. Some people are walking towards us. "We can't talk about this here," he whispers. "Can we talk about this-"

I see Vlad and Dimitri in the group of people heading our way. That's when I noticed it.

I'm going to kill him.

My legs are already running when my brain realizes what's going on. Before I know it I'm attacking Belikov. I can hear Vlad yelling at me, but it doesn't register in my brain. It's just noise. Dimitri's not even trying to reflect. Good! He deserves this!

I blink and it's all over. I'm standing a few feet away and Stan's restraining me. Some random people that were passing by crowed around us, trying to get a better view. "Let go of me, Stan."

"No."

"I'm going to count down from three, Alto. If you're still touching me by the time I get to one you're going to be sorry." He doesn't let go. Vlad laughs amused that finally he's not the one in trouble. "Three." I'm getting agitated. "Two." I start to pull, but he won't release me.

Dimitri says the magic words. "Let her go."

Stan, not one to underestimate the final words of Dimitri Belikov, finally takes his hands off me.

"Mom, it isn't what it looks like," says Vlad.

In return of his words I give him the death glare. Wisely, he stops talking. "You!" I yell while pointing my figure at Dimitri. "You gave me your word!"

"Rose-"

"Don't Rose me!" From the corner of my eye I see some Guardians coming to check on the commotion. Stan takes charge and starts to shoo those gathered around us. "As a Guardian you are not allowed to have many things, but the one thing we are allowed is our word. You gave me your word, Belikov, and you broke that."

"I-"

My son starts screaming. "Mom!" I turn to look at him and his swollen eye, which is starting to turn purple. I don't care what happened, but whatever it was, it is Dimitri's fault. Vlad starts to laugh as if someone told the funniest joke in the world. Dimitri starts snickering which turns into a full out laughing fit, just like our son's.

What the fuck is going on?

"I told you she would react like that!" Vlad says in between laughs.

Dimitri sobers up. "I knew she would." He takes a look at Vlad before looking over at me again. "Look, Rose-"

"I fell," admits Vlad, "on some stairs. I kinda… hit myself in the face on the way down." Stan, who is still there, laughs.

I let out a sigh. I honestly have no clue where Vladimir's clumsiness comes from. His reflexes are extraordinary and he's a beautiful fighter, be he's no match for a set of stairs. One year we even counted how many times he tripped himself on the staircase in the house. Seventy-five. He tripped over nothing seventy-five times! Only my kid…

"Did you honestly believe I would do something like that, Roza?" Dimitri asks. There he goes calling me Roza again.

I don't say anything because he knows the answer. Did I really think he would? No. But I can't take any chances with Vlad. He's special. He doesn't even realize how special he really is. I need to make Dimitri understand exactly what his son is. What I am.

My eyes wander over to Stan, who is still watching us. I walk over to him and whisper my thanks.

"We need to talk about… things," he whispers as he looks around. "We can't do it here, it isn't safe."

"Then what do you suggest, Stan? We can't just leave."

"Why not?"

Why not? Is this really Stan Alto? I thought he was smarter than this. "Uh, because we have no legit reason to leave. Won't it be suspicious?"

He shrugs. "I know a place. It's safe and it's secure. Leave everything to me."

Looking back at my son I know what I have to do. "We leave when the sun comes up."

Stan nods to me before he walks away. What am I getting myself into?

"You look incredibly beautiful today, Mom." Vlad says as soon as I reach him.

Vlad saying nice things? He wants something. "What do you want?"

"I invited him to dinner," says Dimitri, "with Tasha and me."

Tasha. On one hand I hate her. On the other hand, I still hate her. But I don't have to be there, so that's nice. "I guess it's alright, but only if he stays within the wards."

"Mom, I'm sixteen!" Vlad whines. "I can take care of myself."

"Sweetie, I know, but the answer is still no. I'm not taking any chances." Vlad gives me the Hathaway puppy-dog eyes. "You know those don't work on me."

"What are you going to do when I graduate? You can't keep me under wards forever."

He's right. I can't, no matter how badly I want to. But I'm his mother; it's my job to do everything in my power to keep him safe. The boy's a walking Stigoi magnet. I know he can handle himself, he's proven that, but I can't keep myself from automatically thinking the worst.

"Let me talk to Dimitri."

* * *

_A/N That was more or less filler. Before anyone asks, it is possible to fall that many times on a single staircase in one year. That was my actual my trip count for 2012 and I think this year will beat that record. Anyway, I'm writing a new Rose/Dimitri story on an idea that randomly popped in my head. I'm not sure I'll post it or even get too far into it, but I wanted to ask your opinion on something. Which name do you like better for Rose and Dimitri's baby girl [presuming that had a baby girl]: Anya, Elizaveta, Lena, or Natalia? If you have one you really like you can put it in the review box below or PM me. Thank you for being awesome!_


	10. Chapter 10

_A lot of people had questions about the whole Dimitri Tasha thing. I __**HATE**____her as much as you do. I would never put them together. It would have made sense later, but I now feel obligated to address this, so here it is._

Rose POV

"There were a lot of rumors after you left," I say as soon as we're alone. Dimitri's looking at me with his stone cold, unblinking Guardian face. "Some of the Guardians said you went home to be with your family. Others said you got reassigned to some very important Moroi who needed the extra protection that only you could offer. Some Novices were going around saying you were fed up with the monarchy so you left to live with humans. There were whispers in the halls of a Strigoi so strong that it captured the great Dimitri Belikov and Awakened him. They said you took over some Strigoi empire in Russia." I start to stare into his eyes. "But you know what? I didn't believe them. I would have known if any one of those happened. And that's why the truth hurt so much." Emotions start to pass through his eyes.

Sadness. Pain.

I don't stop. It needs to be said. "It was a few days after I had Vlad. It was a complicated birth and I was so tired." I remember that night so clearly. Vlad was barely hanging on and I was a complete mess. Sometimes I think the last 16 years has just been a dream and I'll wake up and be in there again, my beautiful baby dying and me feeling so helpless and alone.

You never forget that kind of pain.

I push past my thoughts and carry on. "My walls were down because I was so tired. Lissa… I was in her head. She was thinking about me so much that it just happened. And that's when I saw found out. Tasha was visiting Christian and there you were laughing and having fun." I take a deep breath in a sad attempt to calm myself. Surprisingly, it works. "You made your choice. You did what you felt necessary. I don't blame you for it." And I don't. He's a grown man. He made his own choices just like I made mine.

"You think I…" Dimitri begins, "you think I'm with Tasha?" I say nothing and avert my eyes. "Rose, I- I could never…" His eyes find their way to mine. They hold so many emotions… "I went home after I left you. My mother was happy to see me, but when she found out I was running from my sou- you- when she found out I was running from you, she kicked me out. She told me I could never come back, not without-" he takes a pause and just looks at me. He's beginning to frown. "I came back to the States, ended up at Court. I was up for reassignment. Tasha was pushing for a Guardian and somehow convinced someone to assign me to her. But that's it, Rose, I swear. She tried… but… I couldn't. Not when my heart belongs to you." I… I don't know how to respond. I want to scream or cry or, or…

I don't get the chance to do anything.

Dimitri's arms wrap around me and pull me closer to him. We're so close I can feel his breath as he looks at me. His lips crush against mine and for a few moments the entire world failed to exist.

And that's exactly what terrifies me.

I don't need this right now. I can't… I can't do this. Not now. I don't think my heart could take it.

So I decide to do what I do best. I choose to ignore my feelings because they come first- my son comes first. I put on my Guardian mask and say, "You need to be careful with him," which leads to a very confused Dimitri. "Vlad's… special. He isn't like a normal Dhampir. He's a fucking Strigoi magnet." He nods as he realizes what I've done. His puts up his own mask. "He's gotten my Shadowkissed genes. His DNA…" I look at my feet, "it's different and the Strigoi can smell it. If there is a Strigoi anywhere within a couple of miles they _will_ notice him. Almost every time we've been out of wards it's happened. If you're going to take him you've got to be prepared."

"I promise you, Roza, I will keep him safe."

I know he will. I'd never doubt Dimitri's skills. But I can't take the risk. Not with my son. "He can go on two conditions." He raises one eyebrow. "One: two other Guardians go with you. It'll help ease my sense of mind."

"And the other condition?"

"Vlad checks in every few hours so I know he's alive."

He laughs. "Is that all? I thought you'd ask me to sign a contract in my blood or something."

I ignore him. "If anything happens, and I mean _anything_, you call me. He gets a paper cut I expect a phone call."

"Okay." I nod as I push back my feelings. Everything's going to be fine, Rose, just fine. "I know this is hard. You don't have to be so nice about this. You're his mother. You can say no if you want."

"I know." My words come out barely louder than a whisper. They both deserve to know each other. I can't stand in their way. I look at my son's father, and I mean really look. I take in every aspect of him both inside and out. In this single moment I can see everything I've ever learned about him; everything I've ever loved about him.

It makes my heart ache.

This is the man I was made for. We were meant to be together, but look at us now! He's looking at me with his eyes full of nothing but admiration and love and I can't handle it. No matter how badly I want to be with him, how badly I want the world to know I'm his, it just can't happen. It's just going to hurt both of us again.

He needs to stop looking at me like that.

It's for his own good. For all of us.

So I do what I have to do. I protect them because they come first. "Love fades, Comrade. Mine has." Each word is like a stab straight into my heart. The twist of the knife is the broken look on Dimitri's face. It's better this way. It has to be.

* * *

_A/N Before anyone yells at me, there will be a lot more chapters. This is a Rose/Dimitri story. Make your inferences based on those two facts._


	11. Chapter 11

Rose POV

If I don't leave now Lissa will kill me. I'm already a half hour late and I'm starving. Before I leave I take a glance at myself in the mirror.

A stranger stares back at me.

Is that… me?

I've given up on spending time on my appearance over the last decade or so. I didn't really see the point anymore. The only people I ever saw were my charges, my son and sometimes Alberta. She'd come over on holidays and special occasions. We became a family, the three of us.

I remember it like it was yesterday, but it was so many years ago. Dimitri had left a few weeks before and I… I was a mess. I could function during the day perfectly, but when I was left alone… but it was getting better. Not by much, but it was something.

And then I was late.

I knew I was pregnant. I don't know how I knew, I just did. I needed to take a test but I couldn't go to the clinic. They'd ask too many questions and I'd only get Dimitri into trouble, wherever he was. Plus if the test came back positive, they'd never believe me. Not when the impossible happened. Lissa would have been the perfect choice to go to if we'd been a little older. Telling her wouldn't get me a test, not when we were both stuck inside the academy. The only thing it would have solved was her getting mad at me for not telling her about my nonexistent virginity sooner and maybe a plan to leave the academy before graduation. The Moroi people needed someone like Lissa. I couldn't just let her through that all away for me. No way in hell.

I had to go to an adult. The question was which one? I couldn't go to a Moroi; they wouldn't understand how dangerous a situation it was. I had to talk to a Guardian. Who was I supposed to seek help from? Stan? Ha! Any of those guys, Stan included, would have just laughed at me in a judgmental way and send me to the clinic. I only had one choice.

Alberta.

She listened to my story and she held me while I sobbed the whole thing. She could have done so many different things: send me to the clinic or send me away to live in a Dhampir community. But she didn't. Instead she hugged me. She went out that night and got me a test. She was there for me when I waited for the results.

She was always there.

Alberta became a mother figure to me. For the first few months she took me to doctor's appointments and helped me grow up. After graduation I went to Nevada but we talked every day. She'd send me stuff for the baby. She was even my replacement when I couldn't do my duties anymore. Alberta was there when I gave birth. She was the one who was there for me when my baby was dying.

Alberta is one hell of a woman.

I hope I could be half as proud and dedicated and wonderful as she is one day.

I start to smile softly at the memory. I look at myself in the mirror with make up on and my hair done and I can't help but smile brighter. This is good for me. I need this.

Someone knocks on the bathroom door. Not one time, or two times, or even three times. It's four. Four times. I swear that kid is going to give me a heart attack. I open the door and say, "Hello, Sweetie," while trying to keep a straight face. I don't and I just end up laughing.

He just stands in the doorway staring at me. "You look really nice, Mom." My smile grows. "What are you doing in here? You were just screaming about being late like fifteen minutes ago."

"I was thinking."

"About?"

"Things. You know, that's the curse of the Time Lords." Vlad chuckles at my joke. He's so easily amused. "I was thinking about Alberta."

"Alberta?" His eyes are full of excitement. "Is she here?"

"No. She's not." The excitement is gone, sadness taking its place. "We're going to her."

"Really?" he asks, his voice full of hope.

"We're going to the academy, kid. You'll get to socialize with kids your own age and kick some major ass with the Guardians there. You can see Alberta every day and live in your own dorm room and eat the academy's gross food." I laugh at my son's fake gag. "It's not really that bad. You'll like it there." He nods and then sighs. "What is it?"

"It's just…" he pauses, afraid of what I'll think. I coax him to continue. "I just met…" He looks at me in hope I can fill in the blank. Dimitri. This is because of Dimitri. "I waited so long to meet him and that's it. You and I… we just leave?"

I leave the bathroom and Vlad follows. Quickly, I gather my things to leave. "Dimitri's coming, too."

"What?"

"It isn't my choice, believe me." He gives me a displeased look. "I'm just being honest! Him and I are…" What am I doing? I'm not discussing this with our son! "It's the Queen's orders. Dimitri and I are being assigned at the academy. The two of you can bond and whatever. We'll discuss that later. You ready?"

He nods and we're both out the door.

* * *

A/N _That was short. I am sorry. I am so, so sorry. But good news! I have heard a rumor that the next chapter is going to be from Vlad's point of view and it will be absolutely brilliant. _

_P.S. There are four. _

_ Thanks for reading everyone! You guys are so awesome!_


	12. Chapter 12

_We've reached 200 views! That's great! Thanks so much, guys!_

Vlad's POV

I've almost always been behind a ward. But not today. Not right now.

I get to go out. Out into the real world!

"You ready?" Dimitri asks as we reach the parking lot by the gate. I grin to this man, this man who I look so much like and he grins back. We reach a nice looking silver car the same time two other Guardians do.

I groan. "I don't need Guardians!" When will Mom get it through her head? I can handle myself! One trip isn't going to kill me!

"Vlad," my… father… begins, "your Mom just wants you to be safe."

"Don't you think she's going a bit overboard?" I raise my eyebrow and he raises his in return. Looking at him… it's like looking in a funhouse mirror. I can see my future.

"You want an honest answer?" Of course I do. Do I look like I want you to lie to me? I nod and roll my eyes. "I think Rose let you off easy."

"What?"

He shrugs. "If the roles were reversed I would have demanded three Guardians." I look at him, trying to find any sign of him joking. He starts to laugh. "Get in the car."

I sigh as I get into the front seat. The two Guardians get in the back and quietly start talking to themselves. Dimitri introduces me to them, sorta. One is named McCoy and the other is named Baker. I'm not really sure which one is which, but they seem really friendly and they've got good names. Neither one of them are ginger, though, which makes me want to laugh. I restrain myself because that would just be rude. Rude and not ginger.

Maybe I'm watching too much television…

Nah.

Dimitri backs the car out of its space and heads over to the gate. Once we've all been checked out the gates open and we're free. I'm free. The ward extends a few yards in front of the gate, but I can tell the moment we pass them. I know because I can feel it with every cell in my being.

There is no better feeling than freedom.

I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. This is what it feels like. This is how it feels like to be normal.

After a few moments I open my eyes and look out the window. I can see them. The ghosts. It's not as bad as it is in the air, but they're out there, just wandering about being dead. And sad. They're all so sad.

I remember the first time I saw a ghost. I was like four years old. Maybe five. I saw my mom talking to one. At first I thought it was just a really sad person who was really sick. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to see him. So, I did what any curious child would do. I asked who the man was.

To this day I've never seen my Mom so scared.

We don't talk about that day.

I've learned since then that it's not okay to talk about… certain things. Things like ghosts and shadows and dreams. They're the reason Mom worries so much about me. All I want to do is just prove to her that I'm okay. To prove that I can leave the wards and be perfectly fine. I just need to show her I can take care of myself.

I just need someone to _understand_.

But that won't happen any time soon.

* * *

It sort of just happened.

Everything was going great. Dimitri and I were asking each other questions and the other Guardians were quizzing me on various protocols, (let's just say they were very impressed), and that was that. It was just the four of us and it was perfect.

Then _she_ came in.

She was like a sudden storm. The atmosphere in the house changed with every step she took and it was becoming harder and harder to breathe. McCoy and Baker all of a sudden found their beverages very interesting in a lame attempt to avoid what was coming. Tasha just stood there in the doorway of the kitchen and glared at me.

It was uncomfortable. All I wanted in that moment was to get far away from that room, but I don't even think Space Vegas would be far enough. Dimitri smiles apologetically towards me before turning to _her_ and announced dinner.

We ate in a cold, harsh silence. Everyone looked down at their plates while eating, except for the Moroi. She just sat there, staring daggers at me.

I wanted to get out of there.

That's when it happened.

One moment I was myself and the next … I wasn't. I feel so cold and alone and… trapped. My heart is completely shattered and everything seemed so dull.

_You can do this._

I take a few deep breaths and looked around me. I'm in a bathroom stall. How did I get here? Where am I? My hand reaches out and unlocks the door and I go towards the sink.

_Breathe. _

I look into the mirror.

Shit.

I'm in my mom's head.

This… this hasn't happened before.

What do I do? What do I-

_Breathe._

I…Mom…leaves the bathroom and goes to find a table where Lissa is waiting. She looks nice and professional. She must have just gotten off work.

"Don't worry, Rose," she says. "He's going to be fine." She takes Mom's hand in hers and pats it in a reassuring manner.

"I know. I just… worry. You know how it is."

Lissa nods. "I worry about mine every day."

"How are they doing?"

"Andre almost got expelled last week because he threw a fireball at a teacher."

Mom laughs. "Takes after Christian, eh?" Lissa rolls her eyes and laughs. "How's Melody?"

"She's smart and funny. You'd love her."

"Can't wait to meet her when I go to the academy."

"You're going to the academy? When? Why?"

"Reassignment. Queen's orders."

"That's good news, Rose! Why are you frowning?"

"Both of us."

"What?"

"Both of us. Queen's orders." Lissa gives a confused look as she takes a sip of her water. "Dimitri's going too."

"Both of you? Why?" Mom shrugs. "How are you and Dimitri?"

Pain. I feel pain… like… my heart's shattering.

And then I'm back to being me.

Everyone's staring.

What…what the hell happened?

"Were you…" Dimitri starts as he points to his head. I nod. "Is everything okay?"

Was everything okay? That's never happened before. How is that even possible? "Everything's… fine. It's just… fine."

Dimitri looks at me, concern written all over his face. "Have you…before?"

"No."

He gets up and walks towards me. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"Anywhere."

* * *

_A/N: So… bad news/good news. School is starting soon, so I'm not going to update as frequent as I have been. I'm going to try for at least once a week, but I'm not going to make any promises. Sorry for the inconvenience. _

_P.S. 5. _


	13. Chapter 13

_Shout out to curligurl0896 for getting all of the last chapter's Doctor Who references, including the Classic Who ones that no one else got. You are FANTASTIC. _

Vlad's POV

Anywhere turns out to be the back yard. Dimitri and I sit on the deck and stare at the stars.

It's nice.

At first it's quiet, both of us in [thankfully] our own heads, but then we start talking.

"You want to talk about it?" Dimitri asks me as he's still looking up to the sky.

Do I want to talk about it? I mean, maybe it was a fluke. It hasn't happened in sixteen years… who knows? Maybe it won't happen in another sixteen.

But it's more than that.

There are a lot of things I've never said. Not to anyone.

I can see more than the ghosts. I can see… I don't even know what it is. People's energy? Uh… emotions? I'm not really sure. But, I can see them. Colors. Colors that swirl around people, wrapping around them like flowing silk. There are other things, too. I can hear things. They're like whispers in the wind, telling me what my opponent is doing or what I should be doing. It only happens when I'm inside the wards… but I think it's the ghosts. The wards keep them out… but somehow they talk to me. They get inside my dreams, too, and show me things.

I'd love to finally be able to tell someone about them, but first I'd have to talk about what just happened. I can't do that to Mom. It's bad enough I invaded her privacy; I can't just talk about her feelings. Especially to Dimitri. Even though she's only ever told me good things about him, I know he did plenty of bad things, too. Things like leaving my Mom. She still cries herself to sleep sometimes and I know having me around, an exact replica of him, hasn't been easy.

She loves him. After all this time. After all this hurt.

I could always tell by the look she got in her eyes whenever she talked about him. She built him up as some glorious hero, even though he left us, and as time when I realized that he really was a hero. _Her _hero.

My mother's a strong, independent, badass woman. There is no way in hell I'm going to tell anyone what I saw or felt.

But I have to say something.

"You don't have to tell me exactly what happened," he says as he turns his head towards me, "just, please, tell me if… tell me if she's in danger."

My body relaxes. "She's not in any danger." Unless you count her feelings towards you.

Dimitri nods. "You and Rose… you've almost always been together in the same general area, right? Like, always in the same house or building?"

"Yeah…"

"Maybe that's why it hasn't happened before."

My head starts to calculate the various possibilities and silence falls once again. Dimitri goes back to looking at the stars. Moments pass and time carries on for I don't know how long before either one of us moves.

Dimitri turns to me again and looks at me for a few minutes. "I swear with God as my witness that I didn't know. If I had I would have been there." I nod in reply, not really trusting my voice. "I came back for her," he whispers. "Leaving was a mistake. I came back and she… she was gone. I always thought she did it because of me. That she never wanted to see me again. I thought I lost her forever." I look over at him and am surprised he's looking up at the stars again, lost in his own world. "I took my position back as Lissa's Guardian when I came back. It wasn't the same without Roza. I couldn't help but think that if I hadn't been so stupid we could still be together and we could have worked through anything and everything. That's when I knew I couldn't do it. I couldn't protect Lissa, not when every time I was around her all I could think about was my Roza… my sweet, beautiful Roza.

"I was put up for reassignment and Tasha… I have no clue how she did it, but she got me assigned to her. I thought it would be nice, having her as a charge. We have been friends for years, I could handle it. But then she kept hitting on me and wanting something I couldn't give her. Not when…not when I am so hopelessly in love with Roza. The worst part is, she knew. She knew the entire time and it meant nothing to her. Tasha is just… I don't even know." Dimitri turns towards me again. "I know I just met you and I know what I've done to you… to Roza… is… horrible. I'll never forgive myself." He looks at me and in that moment I can see into his soul. "I know you don't feel comfortable talking about some things. That's fine. But I want the chance to get to know you."

"I'd like that." More than anything in this world.

We spend the rest of dinner talking and staring up into the sky.

* * *

_A/N That was probably the shortest chapter of this story. I'm sorry. _

_You guys are beyond the best and I promise things in this story will start to… oh, you'll be blown away._


	14. Chapter 14

_Big news! We've not only hit 100 favorites and almost 200 follows, but we've hit over 20,000 views! You guys are seriously the best readers I could ever ask for! If there is anything I could do for you, let me know!_

Rose POV

Dinner with Liss was fun. It wasn't like old times, not that I was expecting it to. We've both changed, mostly for the better, since we graduated all those years ago.

It feels like a lifetime.

I look at my watch and smile. I have a few hours before day break, which means I have a few hours to sleep before I have to meet, wait for it, Stan Alto. The same Stan Alto I always bothered and pranked back at the academy. The same Stan Alto that gave me countless detentions for both breaking the rules and just to express his "authority". The same Stan Alto that wants me to be the face of the Dhampir revolution, risking not only my life but also the lives of countless others, including my one and only son.

What is wrong with that picture?

I shake my head and continue walking. Before I know it I'm almost to the guest housing when I suddenly freeze in my tracks.

That name; that stupid name from that stupid man. "Little Dhampir!"

I've missed Adrian.

Wait.

Did I really just say I missed Adrian? The same Adrian that always smelled of booze, hung out with minors for no real reason, and was a pain in my ass?

Oh. My. God.

I really missed Adrian!

By the time I realized this, he was already beside me. "Thanks for waiting." I roll my eyes. "Anyway, we haven't talked in forever. How about we go to dinner?"

"Too late, Ivashkov. Lissa beat you to it."

"Damn." He takes a moment to think and I laugh. Next he's going to ask me out for drinks or something equally lame and cheesy. "What about going out for drinks?" Oh, I totally called it.

"I have a kid to go find and a bed calling my name."

"You're no fun anymore."

"You're right. I'm not." He sighs, looking genuinely sad. How could I say no to that? "You can come up to our suite for a little bit. We can talk, catch up. And I swear to God if you try anything I will punch you in the face."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Little Dhampir," he agrees as a huge grin makes his way to his face.

And that's how Adrian Ivashkov, the Queen's favorite nephew and my old friend, ended up in my suite. Vladimir isn't back yet, not that I really expected him to be. It's still fairly early in the Moroi evening, which makes me wonder why the hell Adrian decided it was the perfect time to come annoy me.

Some questions are probably better left unasked.

"I knew," Adrian randomly says after a while. "I knew about him this entire time." My body stiffens involuntarily. How? Why? My brain needs answers but my mouth won't speak. "It was your aura. At the time I didn't really make the connection. I just figured it was different because you're different and because I only saw you in your dreams. I realized it later when Lissa was pregnant with Melody." I nod, not really sure if I could speak, let alone if I wanted to. "I know a lot of things, Rose, a lot of things that have been a mystery to me for years. I'm not asking for answers to them all. Not right now. All I want to know is why Vladimir?"

Did I hear him right? "Excuse me?"

"Why the name Vladimir? You could have named your child anything in the world, something cool like Thunder or Badass. Why did you go with boring old Vladimir?"

I almost fall out of my seat laughing. Badass Hathaway? He expected me to name _my_ son Badass Hathaway?

I kind of like the sound of it.

"There were a lot of reasons I picked the name Vladimir. It'll take forever to explain it."

"I've got all the time in the world for you, Rose." He seals his cheesy line with a wink. I can't help but laugh. Do women actually fall for his so called charm?

"Well, reason one is that it's Russian. I knew Dimitri wasn't going to be around. It was… it was my choice. My son wasn't going to have a father, but damn it, he was at least going to have his father's heritage." Adrian nods, knowing I have more to say. "The second reason was because of the academy. That's where it all started. That's where Lissa and I met, that's where Dimitri and I fell in love, and that's where I became me. That place shaped my life, it only seemed fitting to pass down that name to my beautiful baby boy." I glance at Adrian who is looking directly at me, waiting for the real reason behind my choice. No one knows exactly why I chose that name. No one has ever really asked before. "The biggest reason is St. Vlad himself. He was such an extraordinary man. Without him we wouldn't understand spirit. Lissa would have ended up like Ms. Karp, crazy and alone. Without St. Vladimir and his shadowkissed Anna we wouldn't know what I am or who I am. I owe so much to that man and no matter what I do I will never be able to repay him for what he's done for me. Naming my son after that man was an honor."

Adrian looks at me and smiles. I can see him thinking and calculating in his head, but about what exactly I don't know. I'm not sure I'd want to. "Have I ever told you Vladimir is a beautiful name?"

* * *

Adrian and I talked into the late Moroi night. Vlad came back unscratched and alive, thank God, but I couldn't bring myself to go to bed. Adrian caught me up on all the scandals of Court I've missed in the last sixteen years. Not that I really cared about that stuff. It was just a fun night with an old friend who didn't grill me for answers about my son or my relationship with Dimitri and above all he didn't judge me.

Adrian might be a pain in the ass, but at least he's somewhat decent.

After absolutely no sleep and a rather large cup of coffee, I am ready to meet up with my least favorite person in the world, Stan.

After the initial shock of voluntarily getting into a car with him alone wore off I actually enjoyed our short trip. Pennsylvania is beautiful this time of year and I never get the chance to explore it.

It's a pity I didn't get the chance to explore it long.

The ride to wherever it is he's taking me only lasted about fifteen minutes. The building we're parked in front of is definitely not a place you'd expect a bunch of revolutionaries to meet up, unless that revolution is about pies.

It's a pie shop.

You know, I could definitely go for some pie right about now.

"Hey, uh, Stan?" I ask hesitantly. He responds by glaring at me. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"I'm sure this is the place."

"Will there be pie?"

"No."

"You promised me pie."

"No, I didn't."

"You did when you brought me to a pie shop." Stan continues to stare at me as if I've grown another head or something. I decided to let it drop for right now, but one thing was for certain. I was definitely getting some pie.

And I did. The first thing I did when we entered the building was buy a pie.

Stan led me down some stairs and into an empty room.

I ate my pie in silence, waiting for someone, anyone, to enter and just exist so I didn't have to be alone with Stan anymore.

The moment has come.

Someone is finally coming down the stairs!

The mysterious figure walks towards us, into the sparse lighting of the dungeon like basement and the smile is wiped from my face.

I was not expecting this.

I was not expecting to see my mother.

* * *

_A/N: This is the part of the show where I shamelessly plug my new story. Some of you have already read it, but if you haven't, here's a little bit of info on it. It's a Rose/Dimitri baby story, but it is unlike any other one in existence. Think of a spectrum. Place this story on one side, representing time passed and its contents [basically the growth between characters and the child in question]. My new story will be on the exact opposite side of the spectrum. If you want to read it you can find it on my profile, or in the VA section, just look for a picture of an old nun doing some jazz hands. If you have any questions, just pm me or leave it as a review and I will respond. You guys are awesome!_

_P.S. There is one. I used this one before and, to my knowledge, no one found it. It's very subtle, not something you'd be looking for. If you don't find it, don't fret, it will be used again and later it will be more obvious._


	15. Chapter 15

Rose POV

What. The. Hell?

My first instinct is to run away. I mean, I haven't seen my mother in years. Sixteen years to be exact. Besides the occasional birthday or Christmas card we haven't even talked. But something in me, something very small and quiet, is telling me to stay. And I do. Maybe it's the fact that the oh so perfect Janine Hathaway is actually doing something illegal, treasonous actually, that is making the voice speak up. Maybe it's just the shock of seeing her after all these years.

Either way, I don't move.

She walks towards me, her eyes locked on mine. She's staring me down, well… up since I'm taller. She hasn't changed much. I mean, she's gotten a little older, but besides the natural changes, everything is pretty much the same. Her hair, her posture, her clothes. It's all the same. She's still Janine Hathaway.

"Rose," she says curtly, "thank you for coming today."

I glare at the most hated man in the world and hope to God Stan hasn't said anything about me, or Vladimir, to my mother. My glare was effective before I had a kid, but now that I've had sixteen years of practice as a mother, it has become about twelve times worse. This is confirmed when Stan couldn't take it anymore and just backed away slowly. He's such a wimp.

"It isn't like I had much of a choice," I reply in the same manner. She glares at me, the same motherly glare I was giving Stan, but it doesn't work. I'm impervious to it.

She sits down beside me. "I'm going to be frank with you." I nod because quite honestly I wouldn't expect anything less. Janine Hathaway isn't one to lie about business. "I am sure you are well aware of the state of Moroi affairs." She gives me a doubtful look and to shut her up I give her a nod. "Good. Stigoi numbers are rising and so are Moroi deaths. The Moroi population as a whole is scared to do anything. There are rumors of wards being useless; that the Strigoi have teamed up with humans." I nod again. It's happened before. I wouldn't be so surprised to see it again. "The government needs to do something and fast; Queen Tatiana will not let her people live in fear. She's got a few options and all of them require Dhampir sacrifices."

"I'm aware of all this and more." She gapes at me and I just ignore her. My thoughts on my mother have changed dramatically over the years. I understand the reasons behind her actions. I really do. But even so, I don't agree with them. "Why am I here?"

She sighs. "We need someone- you- we need you."

"Why?"

Her expression changes for a split second. It became softer, even maybe motherly, before changing back to her hard, Guardian expression. "You're the best Guardian out there. All Guardians look up to you and to your work. With you leading us we cannot fail." The unsaid words of "I believe in you" hang in the air.

If I were back at the academy I would have said yes in a heartbeat. I always loved going around any sort of authority, but even I have never dreamed of something this big. And now things have changed. I have responsibilities. My son comes first. But if I don't do something… then my son becomes the example. My son becomes _her_ weapon to solve _her_ problems. Either way I'm screwed.

I can be arrested. That isn't so bad. The worst that can happen is a beheading. The Queen can get rid of her worst problem and make the example she always wanted. If that happened then at least I died for doing what I believed in, which is something I've made my peace with. But if this were to happen, then what would happen to Vlad?

If I didn't do this, then what would happen to him? He'd be made the example, along with all the other Novices. Dhampir numbers will plummet further, probably into oblivion, and then what would happen? The Moroi would go next?

That makes my choice so much clearer.

They come first.

Moroi.

My son.

I've got to do it.

"The Queen is going to try to lower the Novice graduation date," I state.

"We won't have to worry about that for the present," my mother replies. "She'll need someone extraordinary for something that extreme to pass."

"She's got her extraordinary example." The color drains from Stan's face from shock. My mother stares at me blankly. "The Queen requested my presence. Apparently she wanted to make an example of me to the world, but then they brought Vladimir in, thinking he was Dimitri. He let some things slip up."

"Rose," Stan replies, "I'm-" I wave him off and he shuts up.

My mom doesn't make the connection of what just happened. "Who is this boy? Why would they mistake him for Guardian Belikov?"

Stan gives me a "just tell her already" look and I ignore him. Like I'm going to listen to anything Stan freaking Alto tells me to do. "He's an exact replica of Belikov."

"So they're related? A brother or nephew perhaps? A son?"

"Yeah." This isn't the time or place to be having this conversation. "He's a special case, like me. She's going to try to exploit his circumstances to change the policy for every Novice." Stan gives me a disapproving look, but who cares?

"How old is the boy?"

"Only sixteen."

My mother nods as she thinks. She starts pacing as she mulls things over. Stan is still staring at me but I barely notice it as my own head fills with its own thoughts.

I have to do something to save my son and all the other sons and daughters who are going to surely be sent to their deaths if this is passed. I have to do something, anything, but what? What is going to stop the Queen?

A revolution.

Do you hear the people sing?


	16. Chapter 16

I am sorry this is a day late. I had to work overtime so this didn't get done in time. Please forgive me?

Rose POV

We talked of revolution some more before each of us made our exits. God forbid we all leave at the same exact time, because that would look too suspicious. More suspicious than three adults saying inside a pie shop for hours in the early morning, apparently. But whatever. I got more pie. It's all good.

I had to get back into that car with Stan, but this time I didn't really mind it. He isn't that bad. I mean, he genuinely seemed concerned for Vlad's safety. Plus, you know, he's trying to defy authority, which is kind of weird since he once was the authority, well, the school's authority. You know what? It's just weird. I just never thought he had it in him.

The way back to Court was nice. There was no impending doom or Stigoi lurking to kill us all or even Queen Bitch to cut off our heads off. It was just two people who no longer hated each other making small talk in a car about things that didn't matter to anyone in the universe, let alone us.

Getting back to Court, though, now it's time to face the music. Or better yet, my bed. I haven't slept in… I don't even know. It's been awhile. I leave Stan in the parking lot and make my way towards Guest Housing when _he_ shows up. I haven't seen him in a while, not that I'm really surprised. He's always doing something, what I don't exactly know. It definitely isn't legal here or anywhere else. He falls into step with me and I sigh. "What do you want now, Old Man? I'm kinda busy." Abe laughs at his nickname, which he usually does. It annoys the hell out of me. It's supposed to be an insult, a very clever one I might add, but even I have to admit it's become our thing. I insult him, he insults me, and then we move on with our lives. "What do you want?"

"A man can't come see his daughter every once in a while?" he asks innocently. Yeah right. Something's up. "Right, I can see you've had a long day." I stop walking, cross my arms and give him my best 'you've got five seconds' look. It's a bit childish, but hey, he missed my childhood, so it evens out. "Rose, it's time."

His words echo in my head, over and over again. I want to scream and shout and fight with every cell in my body, but I can't. I'm completely frozen in time. It can't be. It just… it can't. I can feel my world crumbling around me; once again I'm falling, drowning in the darkness of my own mind.

I can't.

I can't let it happen.

I _won't_ let it happen.

I'd sooner die.

And I just might.

I'm going to rewrite time. Not really, because I'm not a time Time Lord, but you know what? I. Don't. Care. I am going to rewrite time, my time, dammit, because I am Rose fucking Hathaway. I can do anything.

Abe probably saw the determination in my eyes because he just gives me the knowing nod. It's a signal, a lighthouse's watchful glare in the midst of a horrid storm. He stands with me. With us. He stands with his family.

"Have you told her, yet?" he asks me as we start walking again. He knows. Of course he does. He knows everything, especially the stuff that is none of his damn business. I groan. I've known Abe for a decade or so. He just randomly showed up one day and I just couldn't get rid of him. It's kind of ironic that in that time he's been more of a parent to me than the person who was supposed to raise me, but he isn't really that bad. Yes he's a mobster and yes he's scary as hell, but it definitely clarifies a lot of things about me. Plus, he has connections, which normally I wouldn't care about, but when it comes to the safety of my son, I couldn't have asked for more.

"I'll tell her when it's the right time," I state blankly. I really don't want to talk about this and he knows that.

"You're going to have to tell her sooner or later, Rose."

"Don't you think I know that?" I look at my father as if he's the stupidest man alive. Does he really think I won't tell her? I mean, it isn't like I can keep it from her much longer, even if I wanted to. It's time.

It's time for so many things.

It's time to tell my mom she has a grandson.

It's time to move on from the past.

It's time to prepare ourselves.

A battle is coming. A battle worse than any battle anyone has ever seen. It isn't one race against another or the people versus the government. No. There is something greater coming our way and fast. Something unimaginable. Something unpredictable.

The Strigoi are coming.

I've seen it in dreams, night after night, year after year. It started right after Vlad was born. The scene was always the same, but the outcome was always different.

The time has come.

We're going to fight.

Soon.

"How long do we have?" I ask him as I look up at the clouds.

"Time is a weird thing, Rose," he replies. "No one knows for sure how long something will last or when things will come. As your son would say-"

"Yeah, yeah. 'Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey'. I get it."

He nods as we reach Guest Housing. We enter the building, which is unguarded, and head towards the stairs. "If I had to guess I'd have to say somewhere around a few months."

A few months? A. Few. Months?

Shit.

We've reached my suite and we're awkwardly standing by the door. I don't want Vlad to overhear anything if he's still up. "Don't tell Vlad. Please." I ask him. He gives me that look, the one that screams 'tell him', but I choose to ignore it. He's my son. It's my choice.

Abe opens his mouth to talk but he's interrupted by someone shouting our names.

Fuck.

It's my mother.

* * *

_A/N: If you haven't already done so you should hit the fave and/or follow button. Better yet leave a review because we're all friends here. Have a great day! You are awesome!_

_P.S. There are 3_


	17. Chapter 17

Rose POV

"What is going on here? How do you even know...? Dammit Abe!" my mother shouts. She continues shouting at us as I try to find the key for the suite. The door opens before I can find it and Dimitri sticks his head out.

Fuck.

My mother stops verbally assaulting Abe for a moment to ask, "Belikov? What are you doing?"

"Yes, Belikov, what _are_ you doing?" I ask. He can't just be in there! Who the hell does he think he is?

Before responding he looks between the three of us. He goes from face to face and puts the pieces together and he looks absolutely terrified. "Hello Janine, Mr. Mazur, Rose."

I sigh and enter the suite. I don't really want to have to deal with this. Any of it. All I want to do is go to sleep and forget what is about to come. But I can't. It's my job to protect them. All of them. The only way I'm going to be able to do that is if I have all the help I can get. Who better to help than the two most badass Guardians you'll ever meet [besides me and my son, of course] and my pirate gangster father?

They follow me in and I gesture for them to sit. Of course, they ignore it and mom goes off on Abe again. Dimitri looks between them and at me, wondering what the hell is going on. That look… it reminds me. Why the fuck is he here? I was about to go over to him and let him have it, but I'm stopped by someone new entering the room.

Vlad.

He looks at us and sighs. He knows what I'm thinking because he explains, "We were watching a movie and he fell asleep. Don't be mad at him."

I wasn't really mad. But there would be hell to pay if they watched _House of 1,000 Corpses_ without me. "Did you watch-"

"No we did not watch that stupid movie without you."

I laugh. Vlad hated scary movies as much as I hated westerns. "_Back to the Future_?"

"Parts one and two," he grins.

I give him a high five. He's really into science fiction type stuff, but he really loves time travel just as I love gore and Dimitri loves damsels in distress.

I can make comparisons between the three of us all night long, but now isn't the best time. Not when I have one upset Hathaway to deal with and an impending doom lurking over us. Yeah, now's probably not the best time.

Mom takes this moment to look towards us and notices Vlad and so does Abe. The shouting stops as Abe walks over to his grandson and gives him a hug. Dimitri raises an eyebrow towards me. I roll my eyes before I see a questioning glace given off by my mom.

It's time.

"Please sit down," I ask calmly. I can't believe I'm doing this with all of them here. Maybe it's for the best. At least this way mom can't kill me. They sit down and I realize this is the first time we've all been together. We're a family whether we like it or not. A dysfunctional family of course, but a family nonetheless.

I've always wanted one.

I look around from person to person. Mom is glaring at Abe while Abe is waiting patiently for me to say something, Dimitri's looking around confused and Vlad is just there. He's the only one who looks truly comfortable. He can sense things. I'm not exactly sure what, I've been too afraid to ask him, but I know it's something. A person's character? Soul? It's something. Some people give off… I don't know… a bad feeling? It makes him uncomfortable. I'm so glad he can be at ease around his family.

I guess I should get on with it. "Mom, this is Vladimir Belikov Hathaway," I blurt out as I point to my son. "Vlad, this is your grandmother, Janine." My mother's face gets red and she's about to open her mouth, but I stop her. "I'm not finished," I half shout. "No one talks until I am finished, understood?" I don't wait for their responses. It's the only way to get out what needs to be said. "Dimitri, you know my father, Abe Mazur." He nods. "Great, now that we all know each other we can move on." I look over towards my mother. She's furious. And she has a right to be. If Vlad did this to me, I would kick his ass. But it happened whether she likes it or not. Everyone else has heard this story before, or lived it, so my words are directed towards her. "When I was brought back to the academy I hated Dimitri. I couldn't stand the thought of him protecting Lissa, not when he was some foreign stranger who knew absolutely nothing." Mom looks over at him and he nods. "We became friends, though. Eventually we became equals. I liked him more than I should have and it was wrong. He was my teacher. He was my soon to be coworker. He was a Dhampir. It was wrong." I can't help smiling at the thought. "We fell in love." Abe gives me a look of encouragement which is weird. "We tried to fight it and we failed. He left to protect me and I left to protect him," I nod towards Vlad.

"Abe found me ten years ago. We," I gesture to Vlad again, "were on a trip to find some lame ass video game because Vlad would just die without it," looking over at him I find him smirking back and I roll my eyes, "and here comes this old man," I point towards Abe, "who then comes over and starts talking to me. Something was weird about him, besides the whole pirate mob thing, and I wanted to know more so we cut to the chase and viola. Ten years later he still won't leave me alone." Abe smirks at me, the same one I saw moments ago on Vlad's face, and I stick my tongue out at him. I can practically hear Vlad rolling his eyes and Dimitri laughs softly.

All eyes turned to my mother who is still red faced. Her eyes flicker between Dimitri, Vlad, and me and then finally to Abe. Without a word she gets up and leaves, closing the door quietly behind her.

And that is the storm known as Janine. She's too professional to do something as childish as slam a door because it might be added to her resume later.

I understand, though. It's a lot. What would I do if I found out my kid had a secret child with his old teacher _and_ had a secret relationship with his father? I'd be more than upset. I'd punch something. But more importantly, when I cooled down, I know that I'd come back and be happy. That's all I could do.

She's got to make the choice.

The men in the room look from the door to me, wondering how I'd react. Would I go crazy? Punch something? Cry?

No.

I forgave my mother the moment I found out I was pregnant. Now it's her turn to forgive me. I'll be waiting, but until them I'm going to live my life, just as she lived hers.

* * *

_A/N: A lot of you were confused about what the hell Rose and Abe were talking about, which is good. I meant for that to happen. I was going to explain it in this chapter but it didn't fit, so it'll be in the next chapter instead. Sorry for the inconvenience/confusion. Since I'm already here I may as well throw out a "review, favorite, follow if you're awesome [which I know you are]" statement. This is me throwing._


	18. Chapter 18

Rose POV

"Can I talk to you?" I ask Dimitri. Abe raises his eyebrow in surprise, a smirk quickly forming on his smug face. I give him my fiercest glare, but it doesn't work. This man is afraid of nothing and no one. Don't let him fool you, though. He really is a softie. Show him a baby, or even just pictures of a baby, and you'll have him in the palm of your hand. My attention turns to my son, who is looking back at me without emotion, and then to his father. "In private?"

"Of course," he replies with a frown on his face.

Oh God.

How do I tell him?

We stand, the two of us, and leave Abe and Vlad to their own devices.

Dimitri and I leave the building and start walking aimlessly in the sunlight. No one's around, not that there really should be. It's just him and me. I've missed this.

I've missed _him_.

Not that I'd ever tell anyone that.

We walk in silence for a while before he suddenly stops and takes my hand. What is he doing? "Dimitri-"

"Roza," he whispers, "tell me. Please. Please, Roza, just tell me. Tell me what's wrong." Tears swell up in my eyes as I try to find the words. How can I tell him? How can I tell him his son is in danger? Those stupid, traitorous tears fall without permission or warning. I try to turn away from him, but he traps my head with his palms and wipes my tears with his thumbs. "Roza." His eyes look into mine and for that moment it was like nothing changed at all; he was my mentor, my friend, and my love. In this moment I could almost forget what we were doing or why we were here. But things have happened and life moves on.

I take a deep breath and say the words I fear the most. "Strigoi are hunting Vlad."

The news hangs in the air around us. It's suffocating. "How?"

"You know he's special. You don't know how special he really is," I admit quietly. I look around to make sure no one is lurking about, not that I'm really expecting them to. It's too late for them to be out, but you can never be too sure at Court. Spies are always waiting in the shadows for the right moment to strike. "He's… he's not a Dhampir, Dimitri and he's not a Moroi. He's something new; something unknown and unique to not only us, but to _them_. They can sense him. It's like they can _smell_ him. He's something new and they know it."

"How do you know they're after him now?" he asks gently.

I look around again before I speak. "Abe's reason for visiting Court was to give me a warning. He's personally dedicated to the protection of his only grandson. He's stationed some of his men all over the world to find, if any, information about plots for what they're calling The Chosen One. Something was reported this morning. They're after him, Dimitri. Just like they said they would be." Tears start falling down my face again and I start hyperventilating.

We have to stop them. We have to save him! But what can we do? We can't keep him under lock and key forever, as Vlad loves to point out. Besides, Abe gave me the timeline of a few months. Months! Oh God! What are we going to do?

Dimitri wraps his arms around and holds me tight. "Just breathe, Roza. Breathe. Everything's going to be fine. I promise." His words make me cry harder. "We'll figure something out. We'll protect him and we'll make it through this."

I stop crying and I look up at him. Is this really what he wants? I thought he wanted a life with Tasha; something simple and easy. Something that didn't involve me. "Dimitri…" He looks at me, a smile on his face and such love in his eyes. My heart skips a beat. It isn't fair that after all this time he still has the same effect on me. Those eyes, those lips, even that stupid duster! "You don't have to do that. You have your own life to live; you don't have to do something just for our sake."

I look away, not wanting him to see the hurt in my eyes, but he gently moves my head up so our eyes are locked again. "Roza, I thought you could see it. My life was nothing without you. You complete me; I'm not going to let you go." We stare at each other, neither one of us breathing for fear of breaking the moment. "Vlad is my son, too. I want to protect him as much as you do. I'm not going to leave my family again. Nothing in this world can stop me from being with you."

I want to cry, but I don't. "I can't," I whisper, "I just…can't. Not right now."

"I know," he whispers back. "It's okay. I understand." He pulls me closer to him, if that's even possible, and kisses my forehead before letting me go.

"There's going to be a battle, Dimitri. The biggest Stigoi attack in history. They're not going to stop until they get to him." I look off into the distance, remembering the night it happened. "It happened sixteen years ago. My charges wanted to go on vacation and I couldn't take them, not with me being eight months pregnant, so my replacement went. I was alone in Nevada, taking it easy like the doctor instructed when it happened. I heard a noise outside, like the sound of something being shattered. I thought I was just hearing things, so I let it go, but maybe if I hadn't things would be different." The memories of that night came flashing back to me. These imagines haunted my nightmares every night for the last sixteen years. "The shattering noise was the sound of the ward being broken. It only took them a few seconds to get to the house and only a few more to bust their way in. There were five of them. Somehow I managed to kill four of them, leaving only their leader to deal with. The entire time he kept spewing nonsense about coming for The Chosen One and about the biggest battle in Moroi history will be over The Chosen One."

I didn't realize I stopped talking until Dimitri spoke up. "What happened next?"

"I went into labor and the Strigoi got away."

* * *

_A/N: This story is almost to 300 reviews [almost meaning we're one away]! I respond to every review that I can, meaning every one that isn't a guest review and that has that function enabled on their PMs, so I want to take a second to thank all the guest reviewers out there. You guys are so fantastic! Reviews mean a lot to any writer and I know that it's difficult to review, so again, thank you! _

_Also, this story has almost hit 30,000 views [it needs 823 more]! You guys are so… I can't even describe how great you are in words! I really want to do something special for you. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you or if there is something you'd like to see or if you have any guesses. I have tons of ideas for this story, but I'm always open to suggestions. And, again, thank you so much!_


	19. Chapter 19

Rose POV

Dimitri, slipping into his Guardian mode, nods once before taking the time to mull things over. I give him some time, not wanting to rush him, but dammit, I just want to go to bed. I could give him all the fucking time in the world tomorrow after I got some damn sleep. "Dimitri," I say finally as I lose my patience for waiting, "there's more." He looks at me, his mask reveling nothing, but his eyes… I can always read his eyes, no matter how hard he tries to hide his emotions. "I wasn't in a good condition. The shock and suddenness of the attack made me go into labor early. Too early. I was alone and bloody and it was too much, but there was nothing I could do."

I could see the different emotions start to flash across his eyes. There was pain, sadness, anger, love. All these things. All at once. All because of me. I don't want to cause him pain. But I have to. He needs to know. He _deserves_ to know. I can't deny him that.

"I managed to crawl to a phone. Called the only person I could trust, Alberta. The sun was still down and I was on high alert, even as the contractions grew worse and worse. I knew we wouldn't be safe. Not until the sun was up. Guardians were on their way, but they were too late. The Strigoi came back."

I couldn't bring myself to say what happened next. Instead, I lifted up my shirt to reveal the jagged scar on my torso left by the Strigoi's hand when he ripped my son from my body. Dimitri's Guardian mask façade falls, his horror becoming apparent on his face as I pull my shirt back down. "I thought for sure he was dead," I whisper as the memory of my baby in that… that monster's arms flashes in my mind. "I couldn't… I couldn't hear him. I couldn't hear him crying. God, I thought…" My voice trails off as I try to shake the memory. I don't look at Dimitri directly, wanting to give him privacy. "The Guardians charged in just as… just as he was about to…" I shiver involuntarily and I can't bring myself to say the words. "There were five of them. Three of them went over to the Strigoi and two of them came over to me. I wanted to scream at them, to tell them to save my baby, but my body refused to work. I forced myself to speak but it only came out as a whisper. That's the last thing I remember."

I look into his eyes again, expecting the hauntingly sad look I found. I wanted to do something, anything to make that look disappear, but I can't. Not while I still have things to say. "I woke up in the hospital a few days later. Alberta was there, holding my hand, waiting like she had been since she arrived. She was the one who told me my son was alive but barely hanging on, she was the one who stayed with me day after day while he grew stronger, and she was the one who went with me when I brought him home.

"The night Vlad got his first kill… it was that same motherfucking Strigoi. I knew they were close, so I locked Vlad in the car, praying to God he would just stay there. That's when I _saw _him. The. Same. Fucking. One. He started spewing nonsense again about The Chosen One. I killed a few of his friends as he was talking, but one almost got me, and he would have if Vlad hadn't disobeyed a direct order. I swear that kid hates authority as much as I do. The last Strigoi standing, the one from fucking Nevada, ran away in terror. Not from the frightening badass Rose Hathaway. No. He ran from the boy. Do you know what that means, Dimitri?"

He nods. "He's The Chosen One."

"Yes," I agree. "They're after our son."

Emotions try to creep their way up, but I push them down. Now isn't the time for them. Dimitri seems to have seen my internal struggle because he takes my hands in his and gives them a comforting squeeze. I look up at him only to find a certain determination set in his beautiful features. "We'll stop them, Roza. I promise you, we'll keep him safe."

In that moment I knew. I realized that he really was a great father, because he's just like me. He'd sooner risk his own life for our son, a boy he's known for a few days, than to let something horrible happen to him.

The guilt of keeping Dimitri away from Vlad comes crashing in, caging myself within my own body, but I fight it. Now definitely isn't the time to deal with my own problems. Not with a pending Strigoi attack, a traitorous rebellion, my mother, and, well, Dimitri. I think it's perfectly fine to place my own guilt on the backburner.

I yawn as the feeling of tiredness hits me again. "You should get some sleep, Roza."

I laugh as a smile forms on my face. "No shit, Sherlock."

It was Dimitri's turn to smile and laugh. We start walking back towards Guest Housing, my hand still in his. We don't speak, but then again we don't have to. The silence is comforting while we are enjoying not only the sunlight, but also each other's presence.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it.

Once we are outside the building we stop and break apart. "Dimitri," I start to say as I look up at him, "don't tell Vlad. Please. I don't want him to worry." He nods. Whether it was in agreement or just respect for my wishes, I'll never know. But he nodded nonetheless. "Thank you for spending time with him. It really means the world to him."

"It really means the world to me." A breathtaking grin pops up on his face. "You gave me the one thing I've always wanted. I'm the one that should be thanking you."

I shake my head. "You could have had a family with anyone. Tasha was more than willing."

He shakes his head and then puts his hand on my chin, pulling my head up to meet his eyes. "She could never have given me what I wanted. Not when I wanted a family with _you_."

Before I could even comprehend what he said, his lips were on mine. The kiss was full of fiery passion, heat, and undying love. It was the same kind of kiss we often shared back at the Academy; the ones stolen after we would lose control. We broke apart way too soon, both of us gasping for air. I quickly find myself trapped in his arms. I return the favor as I close my eyes, willing myself to never leave this moment. But it, too, ends. He kisses my forehead before letting me go. With a grin on his face, he strokes my face with his thumb before walking away.

I walk upstairs in a daze as I try to figure out what the hell just happened.

* * *

_A/N: I have a few announcements. _

_One: I have finished _The Loss and Greif of a Single Rose_. If anyone hasn't read it, and you'd like to read more by me, or maybe even just a unique VA fic, then it is there for your reading pleasure. It's only eight chapters; a very quick read._

_Two: Because I have finished a story I have published a new one. If anyone is interested, and a few of you have already read it, it is called _Once Upon a Miracle_. Basically, Rose finds out she's pregnant while she's in the Academy and she has to figure out what she wants to do. Does she run? Does she stay? And most importantly, what does she tell Dimitri? _

_Three: I had this __**brilliant**__ idea of starting a Facebook page for myself. My plan is to post updates about my updates, a schedule of some sorts, ideas, responses to Guest reviews [since I can't do that here], some Q&A, fun facts, explanations as to why I wrote something the way I did, maybe some polls, I don't know, but it's going to be some really awesome stuff. As of right now there are like five people who 'like' it and I'd like that number to grow. If you're interesting in joining the party it's the facebook url, forward slash, and then vladmorgendorffer. Or you could just type in Vlad Morgendorffer in the search box and it should come up._

_Thank you for reading this story [and this really long author's note]! You are fantastic!_


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